Human Society in Ethics and Politics

by Bertrand Russell

In this book Russell gives a logical analysis of ethical concepts and principles. He goes on to relate his ethical conclusions to politics and religion. It is his only extended statement of his later views on ethics.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics, Nonfiction, Sociology, Society, Classics

Perfect Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS, was a Welsh philosopher, historian, logician, mathematician, advocate for social reform, pacifist, and prominent rationalist. Although he was usually regarded as English, as he spent the majority of his life in England, he was born in Wales, where he also died.

He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950 "in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought."

Reviews

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the top books of the 50s for Ethics

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interesting quote

Bertrand Russell
Human Society in Ethics and Politics (1954)

Suppose atomic bombs had reduced the population of the world to one brother and one sister, should they let the human race die out? I do not know the answer, but I do not think it can be in the affirmative merely on the ground that incest is wicked.

(page 47)

[Saber shiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

این کتاب در مورد اخلاقیات‌ به طور صریح و روان‌ برای خواننده‌ در مورد خوب و بد ، صحیح‌و غلط و عمل درست و‌ اشتباه‌ شرح‌ می‌دهد‌ . نیمی‌ دیگر این‌ کتاب در مورد سیاست می باشد که دولت ها باید‌ باید برای صلح جهانی چگونه رفتار کنند تا‌ اینده‌ی بشر به سوی سعادت‌و‌صلح جهانی‌پیش برود .

[loafingcactus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was written to be accessible and is thus infused with an optimism and engagement which is refreshing after spending time recently on more academic books. The book is also another example of how one can write about philosophy and ethics with seriousness--no one could possibly accuse Russell of not being serious--and also with kindness and good manners.

[Ollie · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can always count on Betrand Russell to speak his mind no matter what the consequences may be. And while sometimes he wrote on very specific topics like education or western philosophy, other times he wrote on much broader subjects like in this book Human Society in Ethics and Politics.

I suppose this tendency to speak freely had gained him a reputation for being a curmudgeon of sorts throughout the years, because this book’s aim was to change people’s opinion of Russell, and at its core lies the idea that human nature is good and should be allowed to develop without restrictions.

What are the origins of our morals and ethics? It’s hard to say because our views on them have changed so much over the years. What was once considered immoral (such is working in the bible, is now considered virtuous). So here Russell tries to find some common ground for these highly subjective ideas. He comes to some interesting conclusions.

Ethics are fueled by emotions, while science is fueled by precepts (sort of like laws of nature). If you take away God or a World Spirit, ethics become hard to justify. What is just is what causes the least amount of discontent. And something is good when it is valued for its own sake and right when it promotes the general good. It can be said that when someone tries to satisfy their own desires, this is considered good. And wrong? Wrong can be defined as something that can be satisfied by thwarting other desires.

This is where law comes in: to mitigate these desires. Using the law, we try to apply morals which are there to promote behavior that serves the interest of the group. Obedience, sin, competition and are all interpreted based on these criteria, and lots of times they are contradictory like power and politics which serve to give some an undue share of goods, and traditions which are based on superstition and have no practical use in modern society.


It’s both common sense and complicated at the same time, and Russell helps us digest these ideas and does so gracefully.

[Carina]

não sei mesmo quantas estrelas dar, mas gostei no general! talvez 4? not sure, mas deixou-me 100% motivada para ler a Bíblia em 2025! veremos quão Nietzschiana serei...

[Gustavo · Rating 3 out of 5]

El libro es muy amable con el lector y se sustenta en un sólido trasfondo ético (en tanto a la tradición utilitarista), mas no presenta nada realmente sistemático. Parece una serie de buenas ideas (y buenas intenciones) conjeturadas por sentido común o algo asícomo un recuento de opiniones. Rescato mucho la actitud científica de Russell, veo aquí ya un inicio de la naturalización de la filosofía que se pondrá de moda más adelante dentro de la filosofía analítica.
Me fue grato leerlo, puede inspirar buenas ideas, pero de por sí no presenta nada distinto.

[Alexand · Rating 4 out of 5]

اعتبر هذا الخطاب خطوة كبيرة بخصوص مفهوم الأخلاق لكن باقي اشعر باقي شواغل او نقوص في فكرة الأخلاق
لكن نظريته في البحث عن الجمال و ان الخلق السليم هو صاحب الاثر مشترك الاجمل اعتقد هي صحيحة لكن لا اعرف كيف ممكن تنطبق هل الفكرة بصور شاملة اجتماعيا ما طرحه راسل بشيء من الشكوك و جواب بطريقة ما اقتنعت فيه بعض شيء لكن اعتبره اساهم كبير في الأخلاق
و اعتقد اغلب حصرنا ينتمي لفكر راسل بخصوص الأخلاق بالوقت الحالي

[Abdul Monum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Russell Master Class

[Gerardo Herrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an absolute classic. Very poignant commentary on American culture, religion, ethics, and politics.

[shurouq · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/2/2024
أنهيت قراءة الكتاب، هالكتاب قرأته على مدار 6 أشهر، ما بين انقطاع وعودة ولكني حرصت أنهيه أولًا لحرصي على مفاهيمه والتي تعتبر مدخلًا جيدًا لفلسفة الأخلاق وهي جل تركيزي هالفترة، وثانيًا لكي لا يصير الانقطاع عادة لدي.
في المجتمع البشري يتحدث راسل عن الأخلاق بوصفها جزء لا يتجزء من السياسة، ويحاول إعادة صياغة تعريفاتها من خلال السايكولوجية البشرية، الكتاب مجزأ على قسمين الأول معنون بالأخلاق وهو مجزأ لفصول كل فصل يتناول الأخلاق وكل ما ينطوي تحتها"السيء والجيد، الخير والشر، الرغبات" والثاني صراع الانفعالات وهو يتناول التداخل العميق بين الأخلاق والسياسة وتأثير الأخلاق على المجتمعات البشرية وأهدافها المشتركة وطريقة تعاملها فيما بينها. لخّصت منه ملف كامل وحفظت منه عدة اقتباسات مهمة، راسل جدًا ممتاز في تبسيط المفاهيم وهذا يجعلني أخشى التعلق فيه والقراءة له لأن التعوّد على سهولة المفاهيم المركبة يزيح القدرة على الفهم والتعاطي للمفهوم من مصادره الأصلية، طبعًا معروف راسل أيضًا بكونه أضعف الفلاسفة ولكن أغزرهم علمًا وانتاجًا وهذا لا شك فيه لأنه يكتب بنفس غير منقطع وفهم عميق

[Remo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Russell es un gran tipo. Sus razonamientos contra Kant, el parlamentario inglés y otros son realmente mordaces. Es una auténtica luminaria. En esta obra intenta esbozar una ética universal, o al menos describir sus principales características. La política debe basarse en la ética y por ello deja por escrito el autor sus dudas acerca del destino de la humanidad (le entiendo) si los países con poder siguen tolerando y fomentando el odio entre los pueblos. Es un gran libro de una gran mente.

[mohammad firouzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

این کتاب بر خلاف دو کتاب قبلی‌ که از راسل خوندم پیوستگی خوبی‌ در مطالب نداره. در بخش اخلاق بیش از حد مطالب تکرار میشه و در بخش سیاست صرفا راسل به کوبیدن شوروی و استالین می‌‌پردازه و راهکارش برای برون رفت از اون شرایط شعار زده و بدون برنامه جامعه است. کتاب در بخش دوم بیشتر پاورقی هایست از راسل در مورد ویژگی‌‌ها و نیاز‌های انسان که از نبود انسجام رنج می‌‌بره که شاید مشکل از برگردان کتاب باشه.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I skipped around in here. Some essays are stronger than others. This collection contains one of my favorites, Politically Important Desires, which is basically the content of Russell's 1950 Nobel lecture. http://ada.evergreen.edu/~arunc/texts...

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

His views on politics and religion are thought provoking.

[Corynorhinus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daha iyi bir dünya için okullarda okutulmalı. Zihin açar.

[Anish Daolagupu · Rating 5 out of 5]

<3 Bertrand Russell.

[Oğuz Çağlar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Önemli olan neye inandığını değil, buna nasıl inandığınızdır...İnanışınızın usa dayandığını düşünüyorsanız, bunu zulmetmek yerine tartışarak destekler, eğer getirilen savlar size karşıysa bu inanışınızı bırakırsınız.Ama eğer inanışınız inanca dayalıysai tartışmanın faydasız olduğunu farkeder, böyleliklede ya zülüm ya eğitim denen birşeyle genç zihinlerin gelişimini önlemek ve yönünü saptırmak şeklinde güç kullanmaya başvurursunuz.- Etik, toplum, siyaset s.257

Cahilliğin olgusal değil, belli siyasi yöneticilerin faydalarını arttırıcı yaratılmış bir mekanizma olması üzerine bir bakış.