Posted by Amanda on January 06, 1997 at 12:20:10:
In Reply to: Re: Bertrand Russell posted by Lynn on January 06, 1997 at 10:05:04:
: I'm sure you have some of his writings. I have never read him. Would you care to share a few of his thoughts that have made an impact on you?
He has two very good books that are more of an objective outlook on the history of philosophy but by looking at philosophy they cover many other areas as well. When I read "Wisdom of the West" - I didn't know very much about the various philosophers through the ages and many of them that I've attempted to understand have been far too difficult for me. Russell has a similar 'poplularizing' talent for philosophy as Sagan does for science or TH Huxley had for darwinism. He explains things well - clearly - and has a great sense of humour. He's also known for his contributions to math and logic but I haven't delved into those areas very much. I suppose the most influential writings were those on religion. He has written a very famous essay entitled "Why I Am Not A Christian" - a book by that name also includes several other essays on the topic of religion. In the essay he refutes the proofs of God that Aquinas is known for and which continue to prevail in Catholic schools. He discusses the charater of Christ and the defects in his teachings. He covers the moral issues, the emotional issues, fear as the foundation for religion and how religion has retarded progress. He concludes the essay with a "what we must do" bit that is very realistic. The entire essay is a good read - he's not as nasty as people make him out to be - his arguments are based on intelligent thought and evidence and his purpose in all of it was to try to make this world a better place. There's also a great recounting of an experience he had in New York - when he was asked to be a professor there but then the clergy got involved and a court case insued and injustice was rampant. He's believed by some to be a contributor to the 'free love' of the 60s - supposedly advocating promiscuity and such. But this is not so. He wrote a lot on sex and relationships and marriage and what he wrote was worthwhile. We can all see that divorce and adultery are common things in our society - he attempts to reduce such things by his philosophy. One other bit of info I enjoyed reading was how once philosophy and science were very much a part of eachother but after christianity was adopted by the Romans and Popes no longer tolerated the support of science - many philosphers were too scared to discuss science and focussed more on thought as it pertains to God. Mnay of the philosphers were also commissioned by the papacy and therefore built there philosophies around the 'truths' of the church. Comments?