Bertrand Russell, 1946
- "The issue is the most momentous with which mankind has ever been faced. If it is not solved, war will exterminate the civilized portion of mankind, except for such remnants as may have been engaged in exploring the Antarctic Continent or investigating the theology of Tibetan Lamas. These will be too few to reestablish civilized communities. If mankind, in the course of a millenium or two, slowly climbs back to its present intellectual level, it is to be presumed that it will again inflict a similar catastrophe upon itself. If any of the things that we value are to survive, the problem must be solved. How it can be solved is clear; the difficulty is to persuade the human race to acquiesce in its own survival. I cannot believe that this task is impossible."
Bertrand Russell: "The Atomic Bomb and the Prevention of War", Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, October 1, 1946 (Link); (pdf)
1964 kommt der damals 92jährige englische Philosoph Russell in dem Essay "The Duty of a Philosopher in This Age" noch einmal auf dieses Thema zurück und denkt darüber nach, welche Pflichten ein Philosoph hat, der mit seiner Ausbildung fertig ist und jetzt, da er sich nicht mehr hauptsächlich mit begrifflichen und technischen Problemen der modernen Philosophie beschäftigen muss, sich den wichtigsten Problemen der Welt widmen kann.
Das wichtigste Problem der Welt ist die Gefahr, dass das menschliche Leben durch eigene Schuld wieder aus der Welt verschwinden kann.
Für Bertrand Russell war auch 1964 die Möglichkeit eines Atomkriegs die größte Gefahr für die Menschheit und die Pflicht Aller (und speziell von Philosophinnen) sei es, jenen Kräften entgegenzutreten, die einen Atomkrieg riskierten.
Seit John Locke, dem englischen Vordenker der Aufklärung und "Vater des Liberalismus", sei es eine Aufgabe von Philosophen, gegen die Dummheit von Fanatikern aller Art vorzugehen.
Bertrand Russell, 1964
- "Die Menschheit befindet sich in einem Wettlauf, bei dem auf der einen Seite brutale und dumme Leute stehen, auf der anderen Seite diejenigen, die zu menschlichem Mitgefühl fähig sind und sich eine Welt ohne bewaffnete Auseinandersetzungen vorstellen können. Philosophen sollten zu dieser zweiten Gruppe gehören. "
- "There is, perhaps, one duty which falls specially within the province of philosophy, and that is to persuade mankind that human life is worth preserving and that an opposite view is only open to fanatics. That human life is worth preserving would have seemed at most times a truism, but in our day it is possible to doubt it. I think, however, that such doubt springs from a partial and biassed survey."
- "Let us consider the probable biography of a philosopher, now young, who has imbibed the timeless lesson of philosophy and wishes to apply this lesson in his own life. Let us, first, look upon the gloomy view. I shall suppose that, until his education was finished, he was too much absorbed in the technicalities of modern philosophy to concern himself with the political problems of his own time. I shall suppose that these problems come to him with an impact of novelty at a time when he is seeking a post as teacher of philosophy. He will find that there is grave danger of the destruction of the human species and that any pupils whom he is likely to teach will probably perish before they have had time to profit by his instruction. He will find that the same thing applies to everything else, both good and bad, that is taught in schools and universities. He will be overcome by the futility of an existence devoted to fitting men for a life which they will not have time to live. The contemplation of a lifeless world will make his hitherto preoccupations seem futile. His duty will be clear. He must devote himself before all else to combatting the danger of human extinction."
- "Mankind is engaged in a race in which the brutal and stupid are on one side, while, on the other side, are those who are capable of human sympathy and of imagining a world without armed strife. Philosophers should belong to this second group."
Bertrand Russell: "The Duty of a Philosopher in This Age", 1964 (pdf)
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Quellen:
Bertrand Russell: "The Atomic Bomb and the Prevention of War", Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Vol2, Nr 7-8, 1. Oktober 1946, Chicago: 1946, S. 19-21; S. 21 (Link); (pdf)
Bertrand Russell: "The Duty of a Philosopher in This Age" [1964], in: "Essays in Honor of Paul Arthur Schilpp. The Abdication of Philosophy: Philosophy and the Public Good", edited by Eugene Freeman, Open Court, La Salle, Illinois:1976, S. 15 – 22; S. 18 (Link); (pdf)
Google (Link)
Garson O'Toole, 12. Dezember 2018 Twitter; Twitter
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Dank:
Ich danke "Weltgeist is a bitch" für die Frage nach dem Ursprung des Zitats und Garson O'Toole für den Hinweis auf Russels Artikel "The Atomic Bomb and the Prevention of War".
