 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
Through these various forces - government, law, morals - the interest of the community is brought to bear upon the individual. It is to the interest of the community, for example, that no one should steal. But, apart from the above forces, it would be to my interest that I should steal, but no one else. Only tyrants can maintain themselves in this exceptional position, and tyrants are not approved when they no longer have power. I think we may say, in spite of the fact that tyrants occur, that the purpose of a moral code, in so far as it is not superstitious, is to bring the interest of the community to bear upon the individual, and to produce an identity between his interest and that of his herd which would not otherwise exist.
Source: Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, (1954), chapter 10：Is there ethical knowledge ?
More info.: https://russell-j.com/cool/47T-1008.htm
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A safe and secure society would not be possible without the external pressures of government (governing bodies), laws and customs. However, often, as organisations become large and societies become more complex, the norms imposed on individuals by the community tend to squeeze individual freedom. As Russell values individual freedom, he believes that the issue of the individual versus society (the state and various other organisational bodies and the individual) is an eternal challenge, and that if we are not careful, before long we will find ourselves in a situation where individual freedom is violated. It is a major problem not only in socialist countries, but also in democracies, where those in power (from the Prime Minister to the heads of smaller organisations) tend to exercise undue power. For example, then-Prime Minister Abe appointed Katsuhito Momii, who is obedient to power (then Prime Minister Abe), as Chairman of NHK (a public broadcaster, not a state-run broadcaster). Prime Minister (incumbent) Kishida also made his son, who is less than 30 years old, his (Prime Minister Kishida's) official secretary.