Dissent: Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Russell by ChatGPT “The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.” Bertrand Russell wrote that a century ago in his essay ‘The Triumph of Stupidity.’ It seems truer today than ever. Hundreds of people in India have been arrested for questioning certain government policies, after 2014. Some died in prisons. Dissent is sedition in the country now. Dissent is mistaken for disruption, disloyalty, or even treason. What does Russell say about dissent? Dissent is not merely a right, for Russell, but also a moral necessity. It is the quiet but firm refusal to surrender one’s conscience to the comfort of conformity . Russell lived through the most turbulent periods of the 20 th century such as the two World Wars, the rise of totalitarian ideologies, and the nuclear threats. In each of these moments, he chose not the safety of silence but the risk of opposition. At the heart of Russell’s unde...
