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...
divine greater human radiance splendor
The splendor of human life, I feel sure, is greater to those who are not dazzled by the divine radiance
discovery human occasion prevent suffering
One occasion for theological intervention to prevent the mitigation of human suffering was the discovery of anesthetics
belief feeble human man power pride submission whom worship
Man is a feeble creature, to whom only submission and worship are besoming. Pride is insolence, and belief in human power is impiety
folly human perennial race
Folly is perennial and yet the human race has survived.
belief believe god human large observe offended portion punishment race suffers uneasy unlikely vanity visible
I observe that a very large portion of the human race does not believe in God and suffers no visible punishment in consequence. And if there were a God, I think it very unlikely that he would have such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who
beings creation happiness happy human kinds order purpose require supports therefore
In order to be happy we require all kinds of supports to our self-esteem. We are human beings, therefore human beings are the purpose of god's creation
government horrible humanity mass massacre obey organizing peace pretend spark utterly weapons
This idea of weapons of mass exterminations utterly horrible and is something which no one with one spark of humanity can tolerate. I will not pretend to obey a government which is organizing a mass massacre of mankind.
brings cessation happiness merely momentary temporary
Drunkenness is temporary suicide: the happiness that it brings is merely negative, a momentary cessation of unhappiness
allies below efforts fit heart hearts imaginary instead invent longer rather science teach
Science can teach us, and I think our own hearts can teach us, no longer to look around for imaginary supports, no longer to invent allies in the sky, but rather to look to our own efforts here below to make this world a fit place to live in, instead
ends good produce results rules sought sufficient unless whatever
Rules of conduct, whatever they may be are not sufficient to produce good results unless the ends sought are good
age certainty chief paralyzed perhaps philosophy study teach
To teach how to live without certainty, and yet without, being paralyzed by hesitation, is perhaps the chief thing that philosophy in our age can do for those who study it
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
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.