Bertrand Russell's Decalogue *
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" ... a new Decalogue, not intended to replace the old one but only to supplement it."
1- Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.
2- Do not think it worth while to proceed by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light.
3- Never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed.
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.
5- Have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always contrary authorities to be found.
6- Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do the opinions will suppress you.
7- Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
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.
9- Be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient when you try to conceal it. [ TPO adds: Be daring and brave in speaking the truth! ]
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.
1- Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.
2- Do not think it worth while to proceed by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light.
3- Never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed.
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.
5- Have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always contrary authorities to be found.
6- Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do the opinions will suppress you.
7- Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
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.
9- Be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient when you try to conceal it. [ TPO adds: Be daring and brave in speaking the truth! ]
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.
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* Source: Brain Pickings by Maria Popova
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/05/02/a-liberal-decalogue-bertrand-russell/
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"To have respect for ourselves guides our morals; and to have a deference for others governs our manners."
Lawrence Sterne (1713 - 1768)
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