100 RUS 6

Good, clear writing; ideas that sound very current (for better or worse, the discussion has not changed much in 60 - 80 years); a lot to recommend this fairly short read.

Purely for historical reasons, it was interesting to read the last portion of the book concerning the furor over Russell's appointment to a professorship in New York, and the social, political and (extra-) legal wranglings to keep him from "corrupting the youth." It serves as a reminder how much things have changed, and how quickly; and how much is at risk today in parts, geographically and otherwise, of the country that seem so ready to rush into a reversal of liberal ideals. ( )

Si sente che è un libro vecchio. Però se ci penso non trovo molte differenze con i più "moderni" e blasonati Dawkins e Odifreddi: mi pare che alla fine gli argomenti siano sempre quelli...

Forse la fiducia nella scienza (in particolare nelle scienze sociali) e nel progresso è un po' meno spudorato negli ultimi anni, ma per il resto siamo lì.

Simpatico leggere di come Russell, nel '30, era convinto che la Meccanica Quantistica sarebbe stata sistemata in maniera (presumo) deterministica entro pochi anni :p ( )

From the book: "Religion, since it has its source and terror, has dignified certain kinds of fear and made people thank them not disgraceful. In this it has done mankind a great disservice: all fear is bad. I believe that when I die I shall rot, and nothing of my ego will survive. I am not young, and I love life. But I should scorn to shiver with terror at the thought of annihilation. Happiness is nonetheless true happiness because it must come to an end, nor do thought and Love lose their value because they are not everlasting.... Even if the open windows of science at first make a shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own."

Collection of Russell`s short critical essays about Christianity. Interesting to see how valid and thought provoking his arguments are 80-100 years later. ( )