Sceptical Essays / Edition 2

by Bertrand Russell, John Gray, B. Russell

Overview

'These propositions may seem mild, yet, if accepted, they would absolutely revolutionize human life.'

With these words Bertrand Russell introduces what is indeed a revolutionary book. Taking as his starting-point the irrationality of the world, he offers by contrast something 'wildly paradoxical and subversive' - a belief that reason should determine human actions. Today,
besieged as we are by the numbing onslaught of twenty-first-century capitalism, Russell's defence of scepticism and independence of mind is as timely as ever. In clear, engaging prose, he guides us through the key philosophical issues that affect our daily lives - freedom, happiness, emotions, ethics and beliefs - and offers no-nonsense advice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415325080
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/01/2004
Series:	Routledge Classics Series
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 7.75(h) x 0.70(d)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: On the Value of Scepticism
2. Dreams and Facts
3. Is Science Superstitious?
4. Can Men Be Rational?
5. Philosophy in the Twentieth Century
6. Machines and the Emotions
7. Behaviorism and Values
8. Eastern and Western Ideals of Happiness
9. The Harm That Good Men Do
10. The Recrudesence of Puritanism
11. The Need for Political Scepticism
12. Free Thought and Official Propaganda
13. Freedom in Society
14. Freedom Versus Authority in Education
15. Psychology and Politics
16. The Danger of Creed Wars
17. Some Prospects: Cheerful and Otherwise