Bertrand Russell - In Praise of Idleness pt 4 of 4

The method of a hereditary leisure class without duties was, however,
extraordinarily wasteful. None of the members of the class had been
taught to be industrious, and the class as a whole was not
exceptionally intelligent. The class might produce one Darwin, but
against him had to be set tens of thousands of country gentlemen who
never thought of anything more intelligent than fox-hunting and
punishing poachers. At present, the universities are supposed to
provide, in a more systematic way, what the leisure class provided
accidentally and as a by-product. This is a great improvement, but it
has certain drawbacks. University life is so different from life in
the world at large that men who live in an academic milieu tend to be
unaware of the preoccupations and problems of ordinary men and women;
moreover their ways of expressing themselves are usually such as to
rob their opinions of the influence that they ought to have upon the
general public. Another disadvantage is that in universities studies
are organized, and the man who thinks of some original line of
research is likely to be discouraged. Academic institutions,
therefore, useful as they are, are not adequate guardians of the
interests of civilization in a world where everyone outside their
walls is too busy for unutilitarian pursuits.

In a world where no one is compelled to work more than four hours a
day, every person possessed of scientific curiosity will be able to
indulge it, and every painter will be able to paint without starving,
however excellent his pictures may be. Young writers will not be
obliged to draw attention to themselves by sensational potboilers,
with a view to acquiring the economic independence needed for
monumental works, for which, when the time at last comes, they will
have lost the taste and the capacity. Men who, in their professional
work, have become interested in some phase of economics or
government, will be able to develop their ideas without the academic
detachment that makes the work of university economists often seem
lacking in reality. Medical men will have time to learn about the
progress of medicine, teachers will not be exasperatedly struggling
to teach by routine methods things which they learned in their youth,
which may, in the interval, have been proved to be untrue.

Above all, there will be happiness and joy of life, instead of frayed
nerves, weariness, and dyspepsia. The work exacted will be enough to
make leisure delightful, but not enough to produce exhaustion. Since
men will not be tired in their spare time, they will not demand only
such amusements as are passive and vapid. At least 1 per cent will
probably devote the time not spent in professional work to pursuits
of some public importance, and, since they will not depend upon these
pursuits for their livelihood, their originality will be unhampered,
and there will be no need to conform to the standards set by elderly
pundits. But it is not only in these exceptional cases that
the advantages of leisure will appear. Ordinary men and women, having
the opportunity of a happy life, will become more kindly and less
persecuting and less inclined to view others with suspicion. The
taste for war will die out, partly for this reason, and partly
because it will involve long and severe work for all. Good nature is,
of all moral qualities, the one that the world needs most, and good
nature is the result of ease and security, not of a life of arduous
struggle. Modern methods of production have given us the possibility
of ease and security for all; we have chosen, instead, to have
overwork for some and starvation for the others. Hitherto we have
continued to be as energetic as we were before there were machines;
in this we have been foolish, but there is no reason to go on being
foolish for ever.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• bertrand
• russell
• philosophy
• politics
• work
• capitalism
• socialism

[gigiko84]

thank you for posting this

[t0kt0k]

I'm really glad you liked it ;)

Bertrand Russell is one of my favorite philosophers and it gave me a kick to hear him making this argument that I've tried to make many times myself over the years. (Mostly because I hate working :)

[tokotokotoko3]

Very thought provoking - I just love it when I get fresh perspectives on things I am just used to. I guess I'm one of those that just accepts too many common views.

Thanks for uploading. Though I would like it more if the sound was spoken by a human than a machine (even if it wasn't professional).

[bagoodtube]

that was one smart man

[chris5mob5]

always been a fan of the old saying 'work to live, dont live to work'

[tombeast17]

Maybe they use an automated voice so as not to waste someones leisure time byu having them 'work' to read it out. But on a serious note, this is very thought provoking indeed and ties in with a lot of what Chomsky has more recently said about wage slavery. I think in the very distant future this may become reality. But it needs a catalyst to kick it into action, unfortunately i imagine that catalyst being a dramatic occurence such as a huge drop in world population very suddenly.

[madinventor13]

I am such a man. I refuse to go along with the status quo. I did, I have. I can no longer. Long hours, weekends, strict attendance policies, really short breaks, no time to take care of myself, year in, year out. There is plenty of welth to go around. Plus we have enough bombs and guns and oil already. We cant leave out the oil. No one is better than anyone. Hard work should have it's rewards, but it should be voluntary.

[andrewzot]

i liove it

[Theknopf]

Russell, George Orwell, Auldous Huxley, E.B.Szekely, example of a common point in History, an active mind, courage to act out upon their thoughts, Thought- Word- Deed!

[SIMKINETICS]

We humans have been at once blessed and cursed by an overabundance of brain power by unknown forces of nature. What we are to do with 'idle' time is our challenge. 'Make-work' is not the answer. Russell provides a few clues, but his observations are full of implied questions. Each of us must fill in the blanks.

[smellyanddelusional]

what book is this extracted from?

[CreatorChannel]

Send these videos .. at once to your congressmen.. demand reduced work hours..

demand a 4 day work week... 20% less energy use.. at least 20% less gridlock on the highways.. Family Values... Re-inspired economy... forward this far and wide..