The Impact of Science on Society Quotes

“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, The Impact of Science on Society

“It is not my prayer and humility that you cause things to go as you wish, but by acquiring a knowledge of natural laws.”
― Bertrand Russell, The Impact of Science on Society

“وضوح التعبير فضيلة”
― برتراند راسل, The Impact of Science on Society

“إذا أردت أن تعرف شيئا ما وجب عليك معرفة كل صلاته”
― برتراند راسل, The Impact of Science on Society

“Some things are believed because people feel as if they must be true, and in such cases an immense weight of evi­dence is necessary to dispel the belief.”
― Bertrand Russell, The Impact of Science on Society

“في عصر النهضة غدا الاعتقاد بالتنجيم صيغة للمفكرين الأحرار, لا لسبب محدد, بل لمجرد كونه مداناً من قبل الكنيسة, فالمفكرون الأحرار لم يكونوا أكثر علمية في نظرتهم إلى الحقائق التي يمكن ملاحظتها من مناوئيهم في الرأي”
― Bertrand Russell, The Impact of Science on Society

“ترتعد فرائص الناس عندما يقرأون عن فضائح كاليغولا ونيرون, لكن سيئات هؤلاء تبدو غير ذات أهمية أمام أفعال المستبدين المحدثين, فعدا الطبقات العليا في روما كانت الحياة اليومية للمواطن العادي طبيعية جداً حتى تحت حكم أعتى الأباطرة, فكاليغولا تمنى لو أن أعداءه لم يمتلكوا غير رأس واحد, و كان ليحسد هتلر لو عرف بغرف معسكر أوشفتز القتالة. أما نيرون, فقد سعى لإيجاد نظام تجسس للكشف عن الخونة, إلا أن مؤامرة قهرته في النهاية, ولو كان قد عهد بحمايته إلى جهاز شبيه بجهاز المخابرات السوفياتي, فربما كان سيموت بسلام في فراشه بعد عمر طويل. وهذا قليل مما أضفته العلوم على المستبدين من نِعَم.”
― Bertrand Russell, The Impact of Science on Society

“من النادر أن يتمكن شخص من أن يكتسب بتأنٍّ ذلك النوع من الحكمة التي جلبت الاحترام لشيوخ الماضي, لأن دروس الخبرة تصبح قديمة بنفس السرعة التي يتعلمها بها”
― Bertrand Russell, The Impact of Science on Society

“Oligarchies, throughout past history, have always thought more of their own advantage than of that of the rest of the community. It would be foolish to be morally indignant with them on this account; human nature, in the main and in the mass, is egoistic, and in most circumstances a fair dose of egoism is necessary for survival. It was revolt against the selfishness of past political oligarchies that produced the Liberal movement in favour of democracy, and it was revolt against economic oligarchies that produced Socialism. But although everybody who was in any degree progressive recognised the evils of oligarchy throughout the past history of mankind, many progressives were taken in by an argument for a new kind of oligarchy. ‘We, the progressives’ — so runs the argument — ‘are the wise and good; we know what reforms the world needs; if we have power, we shall create a paradise.’ And so, narcissistically hypnotised by contemplation of their own wisdom and goodness, they proceeded to create a new tyranny, more drastic than any previously known.”
― Bertrand Russell, The Impact of Science on Society

“It is to be expected that advances in physiology and psychology will give governments much more control over individual mentality than they now have even in totalitarian countries. Fichte laid it down that education should aim at destroying free will, so that, after pupils have left school, they shall be incapable, throughout the rest of their lives, of thinking or acting otherwise than as their schoolmasters would have wished. But in his day this was an unattainable ideal: what he regarded as the best system in existence produced Karl Marx. In future such failures are not likely to occur where there is dictatorship.
Diet, injections, and injunctions will combine, from a very early age, to produce the sort of character and the sort of beliefs that the authorities consider desirable, and any serious criticism of the powers that be will become psychologically impossible. Even if all are miserable, all will believe themselves happy, because the government will tell them that they are so.


– Bertrand Russell; The Impact of Science on Society; 1953”
― Bertrand Russell, The Impact of Science on Society