Unpopular Essays

BERTRAND RUSSELL UNPOPULAR ESSAYS SIMON AND SCHUSTER NEW YORK PREFACE MOST of the following essays, which were written at various times during the last fifteen years, are concerned to combat, in one way or another, the growth of dogmatism, whether of the Right or of the Left, which has hitherto characterized our tragic century. This serious purpose inspires them even if, at times, they seem flippant, for those who are solemn and pontifical are not to be successfully fought by being even more solemn and even more pontifical A word as to the title. In the Preface to my Human Knowl edge I said that I was writing not only for professional philoso phers, and that philosophy proper deals with matters of interest to the general educated public. Reviewers took me to task, saying they found parts of the book difficult, and im plying that my words were such as to mislead purchasers. I do not wish to expose myself again to this charge I will therefore confess that there are several sentences in the present volume which some unusually stupid children of ten might find a litde puzzling. On this ground I do not claim that the essays are popular and if not popular, then unpopular. BERTRANB RUSSELL April, 1950 ACKNOWLEDGMENT Three of the essays included in this volume Outline of Intellectual Rubbish, Ideas That Have Helped Mankind, and Ideas That Have Harmed Mankind were originally published by Mr. K Haldeman-Julius of Girard, Kansas, with whose permission they are now reprinted. B, R. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE Preface v I. Philosophy and Politics i II. Philosophy for Laymen i III The Future of Mankind 34 IV. Philosophys Ulterior Motives 45 V. The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed 58 VI. On BeingModern-minded 65 VII An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish 71 VIIL The Functions of a Teacher 112 IX, Ideas That Have Helped Mankind 124 X. Ideas That Have Harmed Mankind 146 XL Eminent Men I Have Known 166 XII. Obituary 173 UNPOPULAR ESSAYS Philosophy and Politics THE British are distinguished among the nations of mod ern Europe, on the one hand by the excellence of their philosophers, and on the other hand by their contempt for philosophy. In both respects they show their wisdom. But contempt for philosophy, if developed to the point at which it becomes systematic, is itself a philosophy it is the philosophy which, in America, is called instrumentalism. I shall suggest that philosophy, if it is bad philosophy, may be dangerous, and therefore deserves that degree of negative respect which we accord to lightning and tigers. What positive respect may be due to good philosophy I will leave for the moment an open question. The connection of philosophy with politics, which is the subject of my lecture, has been less evident in Britain than in Continental countries. Empiricism, broadly speaking, is con nected with liberalism, but Hume was a Tory what philoso phers call idealism has, in general, a similar connection with conservatism, but T. H. Green was a Liberal. On the Continent distinctions have been more clear cut, and there has been a greater readiness to accept or reject a block of doctrines as a whole, without critical scrutiny of each separate part. In most civilized countries at most times, philosophy has 2 UNPOPULAR ESSAYS been a matter in which the authorities had an official opinion, and except where liberal democracy prevails this is still the case. The Catholic Church is connectedto the philosophy of Aquinas, the Soviet government to that of Marx. The Nazis upheld German idealism, though the degree of allegiance to be given to Kant, Fichte, or Hegel respectively was not clearly laid down. Catholics, Communists, and Nazis all consider that their views on practical politics are bound up with their views on theoretical philosophy. Democratic liberalism, in its early successes, was connected with the empirical philosophy de veloped by Locke...