The Pelew Islanders believe that the perforation of the nose is necessary for winning eternal bliss. (note: Westermarck, op. cit., p. 170). Europeans think that this end is better attained by wetting the head while pronouncing certain words. The belief of the Pelew Islanders is a superstition ; the belief of the Europeans is one of the truths of our holy religion.
Source： Bertrand Russell: Marriage and Morals, 1929
More info.：https://russell-j.com/beginner/MM05-100.HTM
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We are inclined to believe that what is widely accepted must be right, or at the very least, not obviously wrong. Yet the genuine progress of history lies not in the mere passage of time, but in the uncovering and transcendence of long-held errors. It is through the slow and often painful recognition that the majority has been mistaken, and through the transformation of collective thought, that history advances in any meaningful sense.
Every age harbors its own superstitions, some freshly born, others handed down through generations.
Therefore, even if one's convictions run counter to prevailing opinion, it may be wiser not to yield too readily to the crowd, but instead to seek out forms of evidence and reasoning that might ultimately illuminate the truth for others as well.
To be sure, this is easier said than done, but for the health of the mind, it is perhaps better than drifting passively with the currents of public thought.
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Source： Bertrand Russell: Marriage and Morals, 1929
More info.：https://russell-j.com/beginner/MM05-100.HTM
* a brief comment:
We are inclined to believe that what is widely accepted must be right, or at the very least, not obviously wrong. Yet the genuine progress of history lies not in the mere passage of time, but in the uncovering and transcendence of long-held errors. It is through the slow and often painful recognition that the majority has been mistaken, and through the transformation of collective thought, that history advances in any meaningful sense.
Every age harbors its own superstitions, some freshly born, others handed down through generations.
Therefore, even if one's convictions run counter to prevailing opinion, it may be wiser not to yield too readily to the crowd, but instead to seek out forms of evidence and reasoning that might ultimately illuminate the truth for others as well.
To be sure, this is easier said than done, but for the health of the mind, it is perhaps better than drifting passively with the currents of public thought.
* Amazon Gift Card