5.0 On the End of Nation-States Bertrand Russell, writing in the {Bulletin of Atomic Scientists} (the famous Oct. 1946 article)
"There is only one way in which great wars can be permanently prevented, and that is the establishment of an international government, and I mean one that really governs, not the fraud of the League of Nations or the United Nations, but one with power to govern. There is one other method by which in theory the peace of the world could be secured, and that is the supremacy of one nation or one closely allied group of nations.
By this method, Rome secured the peace of the Mediterranean area for several centuries. America at this moment, if it were bellicose and imperialistic could compel the rest of the world to disarm, and establish a worldwide monopoly of American armed forces.
But the country has no wish for such enterprises. And in a few years, the opportunmity will be gone. In the near future a world war, however terrible, would probably end in American victory without the destruction of civilization in the Western Hemisphere. An American victory would no doubt lead to a world government under the hegemony of the United States, a result which for my part I should welcome with enthusiasm."
Bertrand russell (1872-1970) was very influential. Are there any bertrand russell readers out there? I only read a bit of his stuff. He wrote a story about when he took some magic mushrooms.
Thanks for bringing such an interesting subject up!
One of the first things I did when I started studying that stupid red borg book in 1989 was to read Bertrand Russell's book "Why I am Not A Christian." I loved it.
Bertrand Russell was a master logistician, and was a very astute observer of humanoid behavior. He did, I believe, do some personal research and exploration of some of the schools of mysticism that were of the somewhat "credible" type (in scholarly circles at least) in his youth. His willingness to challenge dogma and expose absurd traditional beliefs was as needed then as it is now, and while I don't agree with his arguments regarding "controlling the masses," at least he could see that there was a lot of power-abusing, dehumanizing and formidable forces at play in the world.
I'm moving soon and my books are packed away in boxes.... I'm tempted to dig some of my BR books out. (I'd better go get a beer instead )
It's so interesting that BR's 1946 cogitation matches the present so closely. He puts the wt to shame without even trying.
laura
Which book won, the borg book or the BR book? Was that near your entry or exit of the wt?
As you say, his powers of observation were great. Not only did he observe the human race, but also himself. I tend to agree w him, that the masses need controling, at least to an extent for the majority. But, the masses are controled, but they don't even know it. How much time does the average humanoid spend in front of the tv each day? The wtc/afghanistan/iraq thing shows it beautifully.
Valis
Thanks, i must put more effort into reading more of him.
SS
Edited by - saintsatan on 3 February 2003 21:35:48
SS: Unfortunately for me, Bertrand Russell's brilliant critique of mainstream christianity made the red book look interesting. I succumbed, for at least eleven years, but got my butt out before my thinking abilities were completely eradicated...!!!
As to your observations regarding who's controlling whom.... I'm completely in agreement.... *sigh*
I also happen to believe that Bertrand Russell is still alive and trying to pass himself off as some dude with dreds living in Texas.
I read a lot of Bertrand Russell 20 years back. I think it fair to say that his book "The Conquest of Happiness" changed my life. This led me to read others of his writings. "Why I am not a Christian" is an outstanding book and I recommend it to anyone. "Authority and the Individual" was another favourite.
Perhaps Russells "History of Western Philosophy" is his greatest achievement. It is a massive work explaining (in simple language) the basic ideas of every major Western Philosopher from Pythagoras right thru to Spinoza, Hume and Hegel. It is a mighty work.
