Ten Liberal Commandments

After publishing yesterday’s post I came across this.

It was written by British philosopher, mathematician, historian, and social critic Bertrand Russell in 1951.

Perhaps the essence of the Liberal outlook could be summed up in a new decalogue, not intended to replace the old one but only to supplement it. The Ten Commandments that, as a teacher, I should wish to promulgate, might be set forth as follows:

Here are his Ten Commandments with my own thoughts underneath.

1. Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.

I rarely do

2. Do not think it worthwhile to proceed by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light.

Ain’t that the truth

3. Never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed.

Sadly, there seem to be a lot of folks around who need no such discouragement — they’ve already ceased the practice.

4. When you meet with opposition, even if it should be from your husband or your children, endeavor to overcome it by argument and not by authority, for a victory dependent upon authority is unreal and illusory.

As a man ‘educated’ in a ‘Victorian-era system where corporal punishment was used freely I can testify that authority lost.

5. Have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always contrary authorities to be found.

See above.

6. Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do the opinions will suppress you.

Ignore the trolls and nay-sayers

7. Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.

I don’t, but I fear I’ll have a long wait for some of my opinions to be accepted.

8. Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent than in passive agreement, for, if you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper agreement than the latter.

I need to work on this. I keep quiet too often.

9. Be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient when you try to conceal it.

Linked to #2 and in this case, I like to think I am

10. Do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool’s paradise, for only a fool will think that it is happiness.

I’m not sure about this one. I used to call myself ‘Foolish Neil’ and I lived the dream on a sailboat for years.

Many others thought I was in a fool’s paradise.

As for happiness, surely if you think you’re happy then you’re happy? Isn’t that all that matters?

Either way, envy is never a positive thing.

Live and let live I say and let each find happiness anywhere they can.