 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
And among those occasions on which people fall below self-interest are most of the occasions on which they are convinced that they are acting from idealistic motives. Much that passes as idealism is disguised hatred or disguised love of power. When you see large masses of men swayed by what appear to be noble motives, it is as well to look below the surface and ask yourself what it is that makes these motives effective. It is partly because it is so easy to be taken in by a facade of nobility that a psychological inquiry, such as I have been attempting, is worth making.
Source: Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, 1954, part II: The Conflict of Passions, chapter 2: Politically important desires, n.19
More info.： https://russell-j.com/cool/47T-2_0219.htm
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In the midst of a frenzy, many people do not realise that they have gone ‘too far’. During Hitler's heyday, many Germans did not realise the danger of being ‘overzealous’. Today, with the media so developed and the press so uncontrolled, it is hard to imagine the ‘fervour’ and ‘excesses’ that existed back then. However, even if not on a large scale, some ‘excesses’ do occur repeatedly around the world today.
In the US presidential election, Trump won against Harris by a large margin of votes. Once in office, Trump will make many decisions to fulfil his ‘campaign promises’. Many decisions will then be ‘comfortable’ for the public who supported Trump, but it is likely that quite a few will be considered ‘too much’ for the public who did not support Trump.
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