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“In 1959, the BBC asked [Bertrand] Russell, [public intellectual, historian, social critic, political activist and Nobel laureate] what advice he would give future generations. He answered: ‘When you are studying any matter or considering any philosophy, ask yourself only what are the facts and what is the truth that the facts bear out. Never let yourself be diverted either by what you wish to believe or by what you think would have beneficent social effects if it were believed, but look only and solely at the facts.’ -from Humankind, A Hopeful History, by Roger Bregman, p. 253
This advice from Bertrand Russell, one of the 20th century’s most prominent progressive intellectuals, toward the end of his long life is very sound. It resonated with me when I recently read it. I’ve been thinking for a while about how and why intelligent, well-meaning people sometimes hold onto beliefs or a particular ideology even when new information, or just the basic facts, should lead to a different view of things.
Unfortunately, my life experience has led me to realize that though most people do generally agree that an approach of facts and the truth of things, actual reality, must always come before ideology, this is too often not the way some human beings function, particularly when it comes to politics. And this very big problem transcends political ideology. It’s true on the political right, center and left and always has been.
As far as progressives, the biggest, most recent example is the Covid-19 anti-vaccination campaigns —…
