 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
The individual has his own intrinsic value, and the best individuals make contributions to the general good which are not demanded, and are often even resented, by the rest of the herd. It is therefore an essential part of the pursuit of the general good to allow to individuals such freedoms as are not obviously injurious to others. It is this that gives rise to the perennial conflict of liberty and authority, and sets limits to the principle that authority is the source of virtue.
Source: Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, (1954), chapter 10：Is there ethical knowledge ?
More info.: https://russell-j.com/cool/47T-1015.htm
* a brief comment (Translated with DeepL.com)
Human progress is born when what most people thought was 'common sense' is rejected and a new and better way of thinking and acting is replaced by 'new common sense'. If this is the case, then an attitude of tolerance, or 'temporary' suspension of judgement, is required when individuals attempt to deny authority in various fields. However, while this is well understood in the field of science, it is less well understood in the field of social thought. To give one example, Russell was jailed for his anti-war campaign against the First World War, and was branded a non-citizen. (When countries A and B are at war, those who speak out against war in country A are treated as heroes in country B, and those who speak out against war in country B are treated as heroes in country A.) Some nationalists claim that anyone who cries out against war in any country is unpatriotic. And so even a lone soldier who has been instrumental in a war of aggression is celebrated as a hero).