5 Sentences From Bertrand Russell To Think About
In Bertrand Russell’s sentences, we find first-rate wisdom. This British philosopher, writer and mathematician wrote some of the most memorable lines in human thought. He is one of the most deserving Nobel Prizes, a distinction he received in 1950.
The most interesting feature about Bertrand Russell’s sentences is that almost all of them are written in a familiar tone. He never intended to amaze others with his knowledge. What he was looking for with his aphorisms was to communicate, to simplify what is complex.
This fabulous thinker was also a pacifist convinced of freedom as a supreme value. His ideas, defended with passion and commitment, led him to prison during the First World War.
He has also been repeatedly censored for not supporting power. As a tribute to this great thinker, here we share with you some of his best-known phrases.
1. Scientists and politicians, according to Bertrand Russell
One of the recurring themes of Bertrand Russell’s sentences is science and superstition. By the term superstition he refers to politics, an area to which he has devoted many of his most critical and forceful lines.
Comparing science and politics, this is what this philosopher tells us: “Scientists strive to make the impossible possible. Politicians do the impossible possible. ” This statement shows his humor, that characteristic British note.
2. Doubt, according to Bertrand Russell
“Much of the hardship the world is going through is because the ignorant are sure of themselves and the intelligent are doubtful.” This is one of Bertrand Russell’s sentences still frequently cited today.
One of the characteristics of ignorance is the tone of certainty with which it is expressed. Anyone who has traveled the world of science or culture knows that it is difficult to talk about absolute truths. The truth is always under construction, and therefore the doubt is always present.
3. Watch out for love
Bertrand Russell was an ethical philosopher. He was firmly opposed to idealism and romantic values that he considered uncomfortable for humans. According to him, these values constituted a form of authoritarianism.
So when Russell talks about love, he does it from a crass standpoint, but without giving up on humor. This sentence reflects very well the attitude he promoted: “Of all the forms of prudence, prudence in love is probably the most lethal for true happiness.”
4. Leisure, according to Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Russell also reflected on leisure. The texts that Russell has devoted to this subject are truly masterful. He managed to understand and convey the essentials of what free time means.
“The rational use of leisure is a product of civilization and education.” For Russell, free time was an infinitely precious time that provided the opportunity to exercise the greatest human quality: creativity. For him, leisure time tests the intelligence of a person and, by extension, of a society.
5. Better to miss than to have
Here is one of Bertrand Russell’s sentences that reveals the depth of his thought: “Missing some of the things that one desires is a prerequisite for happiness.” ‘ He associates happiness with lack, an association also studied in Lacanian psychology and psychoanalysis.
Lack of something leads to desire. And desire is itself a source of motivation to take action. When you get what you want, the enthusiasm loses its intensity and a kind of “fullness” appears which is often depressing. Russell specifies that you shouldn’t run out of everything, but you shouldn’t have everything.
Very many are the sentences of Bertrand Russell filled with wisdom. It couldn’t be otherwise with someone who is considered by many to be the most influential philosopher of the 20th century on the English scene.
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