His doctoral dissertation, 'On a Geometrical Representation of Imaginary Figures in the Plane,' already involves in rudimentary form the immensely important distinction between sense (Sinn) and reference (Bedeutung) that become part of his legacy. As he was preparing the culmination of his life's work for publication, he received a letter from Bertrand Russell pointing out a deep flaw that proved to be insurmountable. In his autobiography, Russell writes:
As I think about acts of integrity and grace, I realize that there is nothing in my knowledge to compare with Frege's dedication to truth. His entire life's work was on the verge of completion, much of his work had been ignored to the benefit of men infinitely less capable, his second volume was about to be published, and upon finding that his fundamental assumption was in error, he responded with intellectual pleasure clearly submerging any feelings of personal disappointment. It was almost superhuman and a telling indication of that of which men are capable if their dedication is to creative work and knowledge instead of cruder efforts to dominate and be known.
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