sceptical essays
this is the first bertrand russell i've managed to read although i've been carrying a copy of 'the history of western philosophy' around since university. i will read that as soon as i can find it as these essays promoting rational scepticism are both witty and wise. an irresistible combination
"can men be rational?" ends with the advice, "It is to intelligence, increasingly wide-spread, that we must look for the solution of the ills from which our world is suffering." and yet in the world he realizes, "But the utility of intelligence is admitted only theoretically, not practically: it is not desired that ordinary people think for themselves, because it is felt that people who think for themselves are awkward to manage and cause administrative difficulties."