Bertrand Russel
Bertrand Russel
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRSwas a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, writer, social critic, political activist and Nobel laureate. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had "never been any of these things, in any profound sense". He was born in Monmouthshire into one of the most prominent aristocratic families in the United Kingdom...
advocating artificial condemned contain descend found fragile full hours mechanical people pools preventive town war
I think every big town should contain artificial waterfalls that people can descend in very fragile canoes, and they should contain bathing pools full of mechanical sharks. Any person found advocating a preventive war should be condemned to two hours
artificial man natural sort venture whether worse
Whether artificial man will be better or worse than the natural sort I do not venture to predict.
mankind sweeter universe
Mankind . . . are a mistake. The universe would be sweeter and fresher without them
condemned darkness gate himself lose pass today tomorrow
Man, condemned today to lose his dearest, tomorrow himself to pass through the gate of darkness
hard-work labor life mental physical severe suited
Our mental make-up is suited to a life of very severe physical labor
beauty cold possesses rightly sculpture supreme
Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty - a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture
knows mathematics nor science talking true whether
Mathematics is the only science where one never knows what one is talking about nor whether what is said is true
admitted believe communion needs pattern purgatory scientific socrates
The Platonic Socrates was a pattern to subsequent Philosophers for many ages. As a man, we may believe him admitted to the communion of saints; but as a philosopher he needs a long residence in a scientific purgatory
care children
We must care about the world of our children and grandchildren, a world we may never see.
early opponents religious toleration
Those who first advocated religious toleration were thought wicked, and so were the early opponents of slavery.
force free tradition tyranny worthy
To be worthy of the name, he must be free of two things; the force of tradition and tyranny of his own passions.
accept acting affords against believes desires evidence explained fact goes himself man myths offered origin reason refuse slightest unless
What a man believes upon grossly insufficient evidence is an index into his desires -- desires of which he himself is often unconscious. If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way.
action adequate cannot creed majority nonsense vast
There is no nonsense so arrant that it cannot be made the creed of the vast majority by adequate governmental action
cause furious ills nature provide savage sought thousand thus turned
Furious at his own misery, he sought the cause in the misdeeds of other men, and turned upon them in savage battle, thus magnifying a thousand times the ills that Nature has provide