سيُمنع كتابي هذا في كثير من الأروقة، وسيُثير النزاع أينما حل، لكنه سيصل إلى عينيك، فلم نعُد في عصر يقدر أيُّ أحدٍ أن يمنع كتابًا ليصل إلى العيون، إذا مسَّت يدُك هذا الكتاب فاعلمْ أنني في قبري؛ فالذي يسبح عكس القطيع يموت. إذا تحدثتَ عني بالشر سيمدحونك على المنابر، وإن تحدثتَ عني بالخير سيلعنونك معي، وقد يبقى جزءٌ فيك يلعنني بعد قراءة هذا الكتاب، لأنه لا يصدقني، انس معتقداتك وكل ما توارثته وأقنعوك أنه صحيح، واقرأ، وستمر الأيام ويأتيك كلامي متحققًا مثل فَلَقِ الصبح
Its intellectual value. Russell was committed throughout his life to working to change the world in which he lived, and to addressing the public in a clear, rational manner. This is one of the intellectual virtues of philosophy: explaining, clarifying, simplifying, and opening the way for everyone to participate in the process of changing the world. The articles revolve around three axes: First, freedom: Throughout his life, Russell defended freedom of expression in the face of extreme religious and nationalist beliefs. His battle was to defend freedom of expression regardless of the oppressive force. This basic principle was one of the focuses of his thinking about politics and ethics. Secondly, religion: Russell criticized the Bolsheviks’ suppression of believers, and he also criticized the religious people’s suppression of atheists. His position on religion stems from a principled commitment to freedom of expression and faith. Third, rationalism and philosophy: Russell defended rationalism throughout his life, and refused to believe in any issue or opinion that was not supported by evidence in a clear, rational manner. On the other hand, mainly following Hume, Russell holds that reason has limits, and that the rationalist position also requires that we accept that our understanding of the world is limited by the limits of reason
