Bertrand Russell’s rules for life, a few laws of getting rich, the role of chance in life
4 new ideas on smarter living
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Bertrand Russell’s Rules For Life
Bertrand Russell was a famous British mathematician, philosopher, and social critic. His books and essays on philosophy, science, history, ethics, and humanism have had a lasting impact on readers worldwide.
He is best remembered for his work in logic and the philosophy of mathematics. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1951 for his philosophy, mathematics, and logic work. During his illustrious career, Russell published more than 70 books and about 2,000 articles.
“Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind,” Russell once said.
Bertrand Russell’s most famous work is probably Theory of Knowledge, in which he laid out his views on epistemology.
He argued that knowledge could be broken down into two categories: justified true belief (JTB) and justified false belief (JFT).
JTB are beliefs that are supported by evidence, and JFT are beliefs that are unsupported by evidence but are nevertheless held with good reason.
In 1954, Bertrand Russell published “Principals of Philosophy,” which outlined what he considered to be the foundations of a good life.
In the book, he outlined principles he felt should guide us as we strive to live a fulfilling and meaningful life. Here are seven of the principles for good life:
Be tolerant of others.
Do your best to understand people.
Be true to yourself and face your problems head on. Try to work out your own problems before trying to solve those of other people.
Remember that everything is relative; everyone views things differently.
Accept yourself and what you have (or don’t have).
Avoid being too attached to material things.
Be patient and tolerant, even with people who frustrate you or seem unfair; this will help you to avoid anger and bitterness in your own heart.
Russell was a particularly strong proponent of rationalism.
In 1902 he wrote: “I hold that every man has a right to his own mind…I regard as one of the chiefest duties in life the training of children.”
He believed that knowledge must be acquired through rational inquiry and conviction rather than dogma or authority.
He advocated for freedom of expression and thought, believing that the best way to achieve these ideals is through education. “Men are born ignorant, not stupid. They are made stupid by education,” he says.
“Think for yourself,” he argued is “the most important rule of all.”
He goes on to illustrate that self-doubt is often a sign that you should stop and think before making any decision or judgment because you can never be too sure of yourself or your surroundings.
He also believed that “the great essentials in education are: firstly, that its object should be to train the individual so that he may be able to function effectively both in his personal life and in his capacity to contribute to the community.”
“The secret of happiness is this: let your interests be as wide as possible, and let your reactions to the things and persons that interest you be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile,” says Russell.
Keep learning no matter what your age. If you stop learning after school, you will not have anything to fall back on when you are older. When the time comes that you need to start making decisions about your life, then you will be completely unprepared.
As long as there are books and other sources of information, there is always something you can learn from them.
Even if it’s just a tiny thing that seems insignificant at first glance, it could be very valuable later on down the road.
Try to see things from other people’s perspectives whenever possible. It is easy to think that we know everything there is to know because we have lived through so much already in our lives, but this is rarely the case.
Be open to new experiences and opinions. If you only do what you know, you will never experience anything new or different. You will be like a person living in a tiny room with a fixed view of the world.
“Conventional people are roused to fury by departure from convention, largely because they regard such departure as a criticism of themselves,”Russell once said.
If you want to see more of the outside world, you should go there as often as possible and meet new people. This is especially important for young people who are still growing up and exploring their possibilities.
“The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper,” says Bertrand Russell.
Be humble and considerate so that you can truly understand the thoughts and feelings of others; do not dismiss them as being wrong or irrational, but listen carefully and try to understand what they are trying to say.
Share your ideas with others freely, without fear of criticism; do not be afraid to be wrong or imperfect to help others grow and improve themselves.
Always try to look at things from another person’s perspective; empathize with those around you by imagining how you would feel in their place and showing them respect and compassion for the choices that they have made in their lives.
It is important to note that while Russell may have been an influential thinker, he was not a scientist. However, his ideas are still relevant today as they contribute to the ongoing discussion about the nature of reality.
In this context, the most important contribution of Bertrand Russell’s philosophy is the idea of relativism. It states that there is no absolute truth and that all viewpoints should be respected. In other words, relativism allows for freedom of thought and expression.
Food for thought
What we gain by recognising the role of chance in life [Psyche]
“Chance and luck have little interest in our notions of balance and deservedness. In life, bad things can happen to good people, and good things can happen to bad people. Accidents take place, illnesses strike, and unlucky breaks occur indiscriminately. In this regard, the randomness of the universe is blind to any sense of justice. We can attempt to rectify some of the negative consequences of this randomness, and be grateful when good luck strikes, but we should not deceive ourselves into believing that the world is always fair.”
How to Ask for the Feedback You Really Need [HBR]
“A common problem with most generic feedback is that it comes without warning, or from a direction you aren’t expecting. The result is that it can feel confrontational, adversarial, and even unsafe. That’s more likely to trigger your defensiveness and shut down learning rather than fostering openness and a growth mindset. When you exert some control over the topic of the feedback, you can be mentally prepared to hear a negative or uncomfortable message that would otherwise be off-putting or upsetting.”
Time for half-year resolutions? [Knowable Magazine]
“It’s probably all too familiar. Against your best intentions, you find yourself reaching for a late-night snack again. You snap at a colleague who didn’t really say anything wrong. You find excuses so that your daily run becomes a biweekly one. You’re convinced you don’t want to behave that way anymore, but here you are, doing it again. Psychologist Michael Inzlicht of the University of Toronto has long been fascinated by how we keep ourselves in check — or don’t — whether you call that willpower, self-control or something else.”
A Few Laws of Getting Rich [Collab Fund]
“Happiness is complicated, but if you simplify it into things like a loving family, health, friendship, eight hours of sleep, well-balanced children, and being part of something bigger than yourself, you realize how limited money’s role can be. It’s not that it has no role; just smaller than you may have assumed. ... When money comes quickly, the emotional cost of blowing it on something frivolous is low. You are only careful with something when it’s dear to you. Spending quick money that you didn’t invest much time or energy into earning can feel like the equivalent of a one-night stand: impulsive and prone to regret. Old money wants a tax shelter, new money wants a Lambo.”
4 ideas on smarter living
A question worth asking: ‘What would make today great?’ A few years ago, I started doing a really simple three-question journalling prompt most mornings. Asking myself this question so regularly has helped me recognise when things are going so well that it doesn’t take much for a day to be great.
A phrase worth knowing: ‘Experts by experience’ refers to people, patients, students etc. who have, based on their personal experience, a vast knowledge in a specific area, which is of high value to science and society. We should simply listen to each other more often.
An activity worth doing: “Create a list of activities and values (max 12) that make you feel content and part of a healthy humanity. Essentially, what does a good week look like to you? It might be photographing, making food, participating in community events, writing to friends or having kind boundaries. Rate your success for engaging with each and use it as a reflection for making changes (when we have this privilege).” - Lis Dingjan
A piece of advice worth sharing: Don’t take anything personally – one of The Four Agreements. It’s easy to forget that other people’s actions and words are a reflection of their own reality and not about you. By taking things personally, one subjects oneself to unnecessary emotional distress and becomes a prisoner of others’ opinions and judgments.
Tools for life/career
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Thanks for reading!
Until next week,
Thomas
Medium | Thinking Toolbox | The Write Life | How to Live: Lessons in Stoicism
Postanly Weekly is now a reader-supported publication. To support my work, you can upgrade to a paid subscription for $7 per month or $40 for an entire year. With a modest yearly contribution you’re not only helping keep Postanly Weekly going, you also get free access to Thinking Toolbox (mental models for life) and Mental Wealth Toolbox (practical concepts for smarter decisions).