significance of the tittle an outline of intellectual rubbish

 

Significance of the tittle An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish

significance of the tittle an outline of intellectual rubbish

Bertrand Arthur William Russell (18 May 1872-2 February 1970) was a British philosopher, historian, social critic, logician, mathematician, writer, political activist, and Nobel winner. Russell considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist at various times in his life, but he also recognized that he had been a racist.

Russell was born in Monmouth shire, into one of the most powerful aristocratic families in the United Kingdom.

In this essay, Russell provides a plethora of real instances to support his thesis.

He refers to all incorrect beliefs, baseless opinions, superstitions of various types, and a general obscurantist mentality as "intellectual garbage." All of this intellectual nonsense is the result of an irrational worldview. People blindly accept some beliefs, concepts, and customs without questioning their legitimacy. In reality, many of these ideas and practices contribute to the world's evil and suffering.

Russell begins his essay "An Outline to Intellectual Rubbish" by claiming that no superhuman capacity is required to avoid foolish beliefs. He claims that there are simple guidelines that can stop you from making dumb mistakes rather than all kinds of mistakes. He uses Aristotle's claim that women have fewer teeth than men as an illustration. According to Russell, Aristotle could have avoided committing a serious error if he had requested Mrs. Aristotle to keep her mouth open until he finished counting. He didn't do anything since he assumed he already knew. According to Russell, this is the biggest blunder. He goes on to explain the dilemma by comparing his own views on hedgehogs to the views of ancient and mediaeval authors on unicorns and salamanders. Russell claims that one's beliefs should be put to the test of time.

There are numerous methods for becoming conscious of one's bias.

If an opposing viewpoint gets a person upset, they must realize that they are doubting themselves on a subconscious level. He clarifies the distinction between mathematics and theology. Theology is solely about opinions, whereas arithmetic is about knowledge. Knowledge is derived from observations, but opinion does not have to be. So, anytime a person becomes enraged by another person's point of view, he or she should be cautious and make observations to confirm their point of view.

Russell discusses dogmatism and offers suggestions for overcoming it. They are

1. To become aware of the viewpoints held by people in social circles other than one's own. Travel can help to reduce the severity of insular prejudice. Russell reflects on his own travel experiences in this section. He spent much of his childhood abroad of his home country, particularly in France, Germany, Italy, and the United States.

2. If you can't afford to travel, you can communicate with others who hold opposing viewpoints. This will assist one in thinking from the perspective of others.

3. Alternatively, one can read a newspaper published by the opposing party. If such people and newspapers appear to be insane or malicious, one must be aware that they will be perceived in the same light by others.

Another way to prevent dogmatism is to envision yourself in a debate with someone who has a different bias. The method's sole benefit is that it is not constrained by time or space constraints. Russell claims that such imaginative talks have caused him to change his viewpoint countless times.

Another way to prevent dogmatism is to envision yourself in a debate with someone who has a different bias. The method's sole benefit is that it is not constrained by time or space constraints. Russell claims that such imaginative talks have caused him to change his viewpoint countless times.

 In a nutshell, Russell proposes five methods for avoiding dogmatism. One way to do this is to become aware of opposing viewpoints. This can be accomplished through travel as well as mingling and chatting with others who hold opposing viewpoints. Avoiding blind imitation or compliance is the second strategy. The third method is to engage in debates with a fictional character who holds a different viewpoint. The fourth and most hardest method is to deal with one's self-esteem or sense of superiority. The final one is intellectually overcoming fear. Fear is what causes devastating conflicts and suffering. As a result, it must be consciously overcome.