Bertrand Russell: In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays (Hardcover, 1972, Simon & Schuster)
Hardcover, 231 pages
English language
Published Sept. 28, 1972 by Simon & Schuster.
This is a collection of essays by Bertrand Russell first published in 1935. In the 1932 essay which gives the title to the volume, Russell propose people work for a maximum of 4 hours-per-day to think, socialise, etc. Other essays treat about sociology, philosophy and economy and also technical architectural problems are discussed in a social frame proposing solutions.
CONTENTS (original edition)
Preface
I In praise of idleness (1932)
II "Useless" knowledge
III Architecture and social questions
IV The modern Midas
V The ancestry of fascism
VI Scylla and Charybdis; or, communism and fascism
VII The case for socialism
VIII Western civilization
IX On youthful cynicism (1929)
X Modern homogeneity (1930)
XI Men versus insects (1933)
XII Education and discipline
XIII Stoicism and mental health (1928)
XIV On comets
XV What is the soul?
One of my favourite writings indirectly supporting the idea of unconditional income being tested in some developed countries
I always like reading Bertrand Russell's stuff. This collection of essays covers some large topics. In In Praise of Idleness, he argues that the world would be better off if people worked less: that, properly organized, we could produce everything everyone needs while spending less time working at those producing activities. This is one of my favorite arguments for socialism. In The Ancestry of Fascism and Scylla and Charybdia, or Communism and Fascism he discusses the causes and evils of Fascism and "Communism" (really, to a large extent, Stalinism). On Youthful Cynicism is a little silly: it's a "kid's these days" kind of essay. Check out the first sentence:
"Any person who visits the Universities of the Western world is liable to be struck by the fact that the intelligent young of the present day are cynical to a far greater extent than was the case formerly." Ha! How …
I always like reading Bertrand Russell's stuff. This collection of essays covers some large topics. In In Praise of Idleness, he argues that the world would be better off if people worked less: that, properly organized, we could produce everything everyone needs while spending less time working at those producing activities. This is one of my favorite arguments for socialism. In The Ancestry of Fascism and Scylla and Charybdia, or Communism and Fascism he discusses the causes and evils of Fascism and "Communism" (really, to a large extent, Stalinism). On Youthful Cynicism is a little silly: it's a "kid's these days" kind of essay. Check out the first sentence:
"Any person who visits the Universities of the Western world is liable to be struck by the fact that the intelligent young of the present day are cynical to a far greater extent than was the case formerly." Ha! How many times has that essay been written, I wonder. In Stoicism and Mental Health he has good things to say on how to think about, and treat the subject of, death. Other essays treat bits of education, economics, comets, the soul, and bug. Overall, a nice collection of thoughts.
(By the way, what kind of book website doesn't allow
tags in reviews?)
