Ideas That Have Helped Mankind By Bertrand Russell 

Q.        Can ideas, good or bad, be so effective as Bertrand Russell has claimed? Make out a case for or against in the light of his ‘Unpopular Essays’. (2006)

OR

Q.        In how many ways have ideas concerned with morals and politics, according to Bertrand Russell, helped mankind.                                           (P.U. 2004)

OR

Q.        Can ideas, good or bad, be so effective as Bertrand Russell has claimed? Make out a case for or against in the light of his “Unpopular Essays.”      (P.U. 2006)

Ans:    Bertrand Russell has been considered as “one of the most genius men of 20^th century. He was a great philosopher and a very sensitive man. World wars diverted his sensitivity towards the survival of humanity. He started to meditate upon all the beliefs and ideas that have either helped or harmed humanity. Russell deals his every subject, logically with all the depths.

Therefore, in describing the “ideas that have helped mankind”, he first clears the concept of ‘help’, as to what things can be considered as helpful for mankind. According to him, the increase in the numerical strength of men, their rising above animal level, increase in their knowledge, their diversity of experience and the idea of their becoming friendliness, more friendly to each other and adding to their happiness - are various fields in which human beings can be considered as help and in these aspects ideas can help mankind. Russell thinks that in the last two aspects (friendliness and happiness) ideas have more or less helped mankind. Man has surely survived because of his intellectual ability, otherwise in ‘physical safeguard’ against cruelties of nature; animals are more equipped than human beings.

Ideas have, certainly, helped mankind in many ways, but it can be said that these have really added to human happiness. Russell says:

‘We have purchased this advantage at the expense of a much greater liability to boredom.”

This is because “happiness” is something different from pleasure and amusement. Happiness is a matter of inside-out. But the fake ideas have, ruined human happiness e.g. the idea of future telling is a disguised blessing. It has increased in fear and anxiety than granting to human being happiness. Russell says:

‘We suffer not only the evils that actually befall us, but all those that our intelligence tells us we have reason to fear”.

The other aspect, in which ideas have failed, though not completely yet greatly, is the establishment of friendliness and brotherhood. Buddha and Christ and other moralists have extensively preached these ideas, yet it is in vain. In the words of Russell:

“Our intelligence enables us to give emotions and a scope which is denied to even the most savage beast.

When Russell discusses “the ideas that have helped mankind” he classifies ideas into two categories, which are: (i) Technical Ideas (ii) Moral Ideas. Ideas related to knowledge and techniques are helping mankind since the “prehistoric times”.

The very first beneficent idea was the ‘use of fire’ by human beings, for protection from the wild beasts and later for cooking purposes also. At some later stage, the ‘use of language’ initially oral and then in written form was also a great idea of human beings. Russell thinks:

“Without it, it would have been very difficult to hand over from generation to generation the inventions and discoveries that were gradually made”.

‘Taming of animals’ and ‘invention of agriculture’ are the landmarks in helping ideas, which were also achieved in the prehistoric times. However, at first some superstitious beliefs were involved in the field of agriculture that the fertility of the land requires the blood of infants. Russell satirizes child labour in industry by comparing with this superstition, he says:

“It has now been discovered that grains will grow, and cotton goods can be manufactured, without being watered by the blood of infants”.

Then in the era of ‘historic times’, the ideas that have helped mankind were the ideas of mathematics and astronomy. According to Russell, in the recent times, the ideas made by same scientists greatly helped mankind, e.g., Galilio’s discovery of telescope, Descartes method of skepticism’, Leibniz’s concept of ‘monodology’ and Newton’s discovery of the ‘force of gravity’. These were the people who developed the concept of investigation and ‘inquiry’, and thus separated the idealism and theoretical philosophy from science. Russell believes that the most important idea, which helped mankind, was the ‘law of inertia’. Later, Darwin’s ‘theory of evolution’ makes a dramatic advancement in the field of human knowledge. After this, rational men could not believe in the Christian doctrine of ‘fall of man’.

The second category of helpful ideas is that of ‘moral ideas’. Russell suggests that the first and most important idea is the idea of brotherhood among men. But this has not been practiced well. The reason might be, that man is a complex being. He has the capacity to love, to appreciate beauty and to enjoy intellectual understanding. At the same time, he is capable of cruelty, greed, indifference and never ending pride. It can be seen through the brutal treatment of Jews by Germans and of Germans by Russians, that:

“Man is more prone to evil than good”,

Another great idea, among the moral ideas, is the idea of liberty, but, unfortunately, it also has a fluctuating history, for:

“The idea of liberty generates the idea of slavery”.

There are commonly two aspects of liberty, individual liberty and the freedom of the state. According to Russell, there should be some check on both of these aspects, otherwise there is an example of Nazis, who extensively misused and misinterpreted the notion of ‘notional liberty’ for their selfish purposes. In past years, similar exploitation was done by different religious sects and tried to exterminate other creeds and classes. The great Empirical philosopher, John Locke, held the situation by putting forward the concept of ‘Democracy’ and thus gave a rational basis to liberty. Russell is a great admirer of this concept, he says:

“Democracy was invented as a device for reconciling govt. with liberty”.

But he believed that it should not be imposed on the notions which are not capable of practicing it truly. He gives the example of Balkan country.

It is an ill luck that both, moral and technical ideas have not progressed at equal pace. Sometimes moral ideas, of tolerance, brotherhood and charity, exceeded as it happened in the ‘Church Age’ in England, while at some other times, technical ideas, of scientific and industrial progress, moved far ahead. As in the modern world, the technical ideas are far reaching than the moral one. Russell fears if this gap continues, an extremely disastrous end of humanity, is sure, as described in the biblical myth of Tower of Babel. Any such destruction of life can be prevented only by adopting certain moral principles along with material development.

Russell also describes some ‘political ideas’, besides moral and technical ones, which have helped mankind. Among these are the ideas of law and of Government. Russell believes that governments, after a sufficient interval of time, will accept the liberty of individual and the same will be the case with the idea of the world government. According to him, after the recent technological developments, there are only two ‘really independent states’ i.e., Russia and America. And to secure peace of the world, it is necessary to merge these states to form a single world government. He says:

“Either man must become a rare species as in the days of Homo Pekiniensis or we must learn to submit to an international government”. Russell suggests that it took five thousand years to reach the democratic level, prevailing in America, from the tyrannical and absolute monarchy. Thus a world government: also requires a comfortably long period. He feels that had moral ideas kept pace with technological development, an international government would have been formed long ago. Russell believes that with the establishment of a world government, mankind will enter into an era of uninterrupted economic and scientific growth and happiness. There will be no poverty or unemployment and men will enjoy maximum leisure hours.

This was the concept to which Russell devoted all his later years and it expresses his eager and sincere concern for humanity and his pacifism. He could observe that man is standing on a cross-road, from where one path leads to happiness, prosperity and security, while the other takes to utter horrible disaster. Now Russell wishes that mankind must choose rational and logical way.

“The idea of world government is the only logical development”.

And if it happens, it would become the ‘most helpful’ among the ideas that have ever helped mankind. Otherwise, it would only be concluded that ideas have ‘harmed mankind’, rather than helped mankind.

Points to remember:

1.         The concept of help.

2.         The idea of friendliness and brotherhood.

3.         The use of fire and language.

4.         Taming of animals and invention of agriculture.

5.         Idea of mathematics and astronomy.

6.         The idea of brotherhood.

7.         Idea of liberty.

8.         Idea of world Government.

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