Intending to become an engineer, he had traveled to Manchester, England, in 1908, at age nineteen, to work at an aeronautical research station where he hoped to design and build his own airplane. It was there that his growing interest in mathematics led him to the discovery of Russell’s Principia Mathematica. With the passion of a convert, he set out for Cambridge, impetuously introduced himself to Russell, and announced his intention to make philosophy his life’s work—if he could.

— Journey to the Edge of Reason by Stephen Budiansky (26%)