Bertrand Russell Quotes

The sense of sin or guilt is part of a whole system of feelings which have to do with the correlative, though opposite, desires to dominate and to be dominated. Most people have both, though in some the one is stronger, and in others, the other. The wish to be dominated is quite as profound and spontaneous as the wish to dominate. It is only the existence of both that has made possible the persistence through many centuries of systems of social inequality.
Source: Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, 1954, part II: The Conflict of Passions, chapter 4: Myth and Magic, n.11
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The desire to dominate and the desire to be dominated are part of a set of interrelated emotions. While many people possess a desire to dominate, in practice, only a minority hold positions of power, leaving the majority to be dominated. However, some among the dominated intuitively recognize this reality and seek to curry favor with those in power. By submitting to authority, they simultaneously satisfy their own desire to dominate by indirectly or secondarily exerting control over those with even less power, leveraging the authority of the powerful. As a result, the weak remain unprotected and unsupported.
Source: Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, 1954, part II: The Conflict of Passions, chapter 4: Myth and Magic, n.11
More info.: https://russell-j.com/beginner/OE10-050.HTM
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