Philosophy for Laymen: Second Thoughts About Left and Right
Commentary
In a 1946 essay on the subject of “Philosophy for Laymen,” the late British philosopher Bertrand Russell noted that, throughout the history of civilization, human beings have faced two different kinds of problems.
On the one hand, said Russell, mankind had to acquire the practical knowledge and techniques needed to sustain life in our natural environment. In that regard, we have enhanced the quality of our lives through the methods of science. To accomplish this, we have trained large numbers of capable specialists in rather narrow technical fields.
Our second problem, Russell cautioned, has been mistakenly regarded as less important. It’s the question of how best to employ science and technology in the best interests of individuals and society. For Russell, this included such “burning issues as democracy versus dictatorship, capitalism versus socialism, international government versus international an
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