"Knowledge is power, but it is power for evil as much as for good. It follows that, unless men increase in wisdom as much as in knowledge, increase of knowledge will be increase of sorrow"
These are the words of Bertrand Russell. A British polymath, logician, mathematician, antiwar activist, philosopher, and an author. He has been called "the father of logic" by many and there's no doubt that he is. I'm taking you to one of his most famous works; the impact of science on society.
About the book:
The book consists of lectures delivered by him on many occasions. Almost all of these lectures were delivered after world war 2. The idea of this book revolves around both positive and negative impacts that science created on society. Also, what can still happen in future. How can mankind use science to move towards prosperity or deterioration. It gives a clear insight on scientific democracy and dictatorship. Russell's philosophy involves rationality and truth. His writing style is ironic which makes him misunderstood by many but I got many heartfelt laughters while reading this book.
My thoughts about the book:
On the positive side of the band, there was a clear picture of how observation should have priority over authority, how human mind should observe the truth and should not accept anything without questioning it. That's exactly how science destroyed the traditions. It states how science enabled us to fight diseases, famines, droughts, infant mortality and much more. The book totally destroys the idea of a perfect, secure world. Russell argues that the world should allow peaceful adventure because the need for adventure is ingrained in our minds. It talks about art to be free of authority in order to express the truth.
On the negative side, it shows us how people who moved towards scientific dictatorship had the power to make it evil. How weapons were constructed to cause destruction. At the end he talks about "Us" deteriorating the planet. Using all the raw materials and pushing it towards destruction. Even if in future science replaceces these raw materials and resources with new inventions, the growing population will always be a hurdle in order to sustain the planet.
As a solution he argues that there should be a world government to make sure of peace and food availability. Which he later states as "impractical". The journey he argues is long but there is no reason for human kind to lose hope.
I've never read a visionary like him, so go on and get your vision of the possible future. It will help you learn how to question things instead of blindly following. Either its religion, or any other ideology.
Brilliant words!
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