“If you wish to become a philosopher, the first thing to realise is that most people go through life with a whole world of beliefs that have no sort of rational justification, and that one man‘s world of beliefs is apt to be incompatible with another man‘s, so that they cannot both be right. People‘s opinions are mainly designed to make them feel comfortable; truth, for most people is a secondary consideration.”
pickIt took me quite some time to finish this classic as I've kept reading a few pages every once in a while to allow myself to judge to what extent these ideas are still applicable today. And yes, although the book was written 100 years ago, the principles seem to make sense beyond time, community or beliefs. I appreciated the focus on conclusions rather than recommendations to achieve happiness, which generally abound in self-help literature.
pickI finally finished a book! I enjoyed reading this but it showed its age at times. Russell wrote this in the 1930s. He complains about the difficulty of finding domestic help and uses a few outdated terms regarding race. These flaws can be forgiven considering the general wisdom of his advice. Russell lived a long, interesting life. Here he shares how he charted a happy course. 4-⭐️
so-soThere are some days I like Russell, however, I think it‘s easy for someone who grew up in the British aristocracy to claim they have a grasp on “The Happy Man” and to me it‘s evident throughout the book. It was also apparently evident to the forward author. This is a book I tend to look at when I question my own happiness then I put it down, forget about it, and return to it years later to see if I find any missed messages.
Philosophy as a puzzle.
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This is how I‘m explaining philosophy to students from now on.
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