 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
Well, I think mathematics has the advantage of teaching you the habit of thinking without passion. That seems to me the great merit of mathematics. You learn to use your mind primarily upon material where passion doesn't come in, and having trained it in that way you can then use it passionlessly upon matters about which you feel passionately. Then you're much more likely to come to true conclusions.
Source: Spinoza's Ethics, 1942.
Spinoza's Ethics; dialogue with Scott Buchanan and Mark Van Doren.
* CBS program: 'Invitation to Learning.
In: New Invitation to Learning(New York, Random House, 1942), pp.107-118.
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