Heretical views arise when the truth is uncertain, and it is only when the truth is uncertain that censorship is invoked. Bertrand Russell More Quotes by Bertrand Russell More Quotes From Bertrand Russell Aristotle, in spite of his reputation, is full of absurdities. He says that children should be conceived in the Winter, when the wind is in the North, and that if people marry too young the children will be female. He tells us that the blood of females is blacker than that of males; that the pig is the only animal liable to measles; that an elephant suffering from insomnia should have its shoulders rubbed with salt, olive-oil, and warm water; that women have fewer teeth than men, and so on. Nevertheless, he is considered by the great majority of philosophers a paragon of wisdom. Bertrand Russell wisdomwinterchildren Aristotle is the last Greek philosopher who faces the world cheerfully; after him, all have, in one form or another, a philosophy of retreat. Bertrand Russell greekphilosophyworld The true function of logic ... as applied to matters of experience ... is analytic rather than constructive; taken a priori, it shows the possibility of hitherto unsuspected alternatives more often than the impossibility of alternatives which seemed prima facie possible. Thus, while it liberates imagination as to what the world may be, it refuses to legislate as to what the world is Bertrand Russell alternativestakenimagination You may reasonably expect a man to walk a tightrope safely for ten minutes; it would be unreasonable to do so without accident for two hundred years. Bertrand Russell menscienceyears Cruelty is, in theory, a perfectly adequate ground for divorce, but it may be interpreted so as to become absurd. Bertrand Russell adequatedivorcemay If two hitherto rival football teams, under the influence of brotherly love, decided to co-operate in placing the football first beyond one goal and then beyond the other, no one's happiness would be increased Bertrand Russell teamfootballtwo After ages during which the earth produced harmless trilobites and butterflies, evolution progressed to the point at which it generated Neros, Genghis Khans, and Hitlers. This, however, is a passing nightmare; in time the earth will become again incapable of supporting life, and peace will return. Bertrand Russell nerobutterflyage All traditional logic habitually assumes that precise symbols are being employed. It is therefore not applicable to this terrestial life but only to an imagined celestial existence... logic takes us nearer to heaven than other studies. Bertrand Russell logicstudyheaven I went to Salt Lake City and the Mormons tried to convert me, but when I found they forbade tea and tobacco I thought it was no religion for me. Bertrand Russell citieslakestea The desire for legitimate offspring is, in fact, according to the Catholic Church, the only motive which can justify sexual intercourse. Bertrand Russell catholicchurchdesire The late F. W. H. Myers used to tell how he asked a man at a dinner table what he thought would happen to him when he died. The man tried to ignore the question, but, on being pressed, replied: "Oh well, I suppose I shall inherit eternal bliss, but I wish you wouldn't talk about such unpleasant subjects." Bertrand Russell tableswishmen It's easy to fall in love. The hard part is finding someone to catch you. Bertrand Russell famous-lovefalling-in-lovenew-relationship This illustrates an important truth, namely, that the worse your logic, the more interesting the consequences to which it gives rise. Bertrand Russell importantgivinginteresting Belief in a Divine mission is one of the many forms of certainty that have afflicted the human race. Bertrand Russell divineracebelief One eminently orthodox Catholic divine laid it down that a confessor may fondle a nun's breasts, provided he does it without evil intent. Bertrand Russell catholicevilmay The Eugenic Society . . . is perpetually bewailing the fact that wage-earners breed faster than middle-class people. Bertrand Russell classfactspeople Truth is a shining goddess, always veiled, always distant, never wholly approachable, but worthy of all the devotion of which the human spirit is capable. Bertrand Russell learningshininginspirational Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men; although he was twice married, it never occurred to him to verify this statement by examining his wives' mouths. Bertrand Russell wifemathmen The difficulty is old, but none the less real. An omnipotent being who created a world containing evil not due to sin must Himself be at least partially evil. Bertrand Russell realgodevil The mind is a strange machine which can combine the materials offered to it in the most astonishing ways. Bertrand Russell machinesmindway
