 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
There has been a great deal of study by psychologists of the operation of the unconscious upon the conscious, but much less of the operation of the conscious upon the unconscious. Yet the latter is of vast importance in the subject of mental hygiene, and must be understood if rational convictions are ever to operate in the realm of the unconscious.
Source: Bertrand Russell: The Conquest of Happiness, 1930, chap. 5.
More info.: https://russell-j.com/beginner/HA15-050.HTM
* a brief comment (Translated with DeepL.com)
You know that "certainties based on reason need to work (also) in the realm of the unconscious." However, sometimes we are not able to make rational decisions or take action because of fear or because of the influence of desires that we want to keep hidden. Religions, especially those such as the Unification Church, try to control people by making believers have convictions that are 'not based on reason'.