Bertrand Russell

First published in 1984. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays

Jacqueline Wilson

Mustapha Othman

Sam Turner

Amro Gebreel

In this collection of essays, Russell surveys the social and political consequences of his beliefs with characteristic clarity and humour. In Praise of Idleness is a tour de force that only Bertrand Russell could perform.Intolerance and bigotry lie at the heart of all human suffering. So claims Bertrand Russell at the outset of In Praise of Idleness, a collection of essays in which he espouses the virtues of cool reflection and free enquiry; a voice of calm in a world of maddening unreason. With characteristic clarity and humour, Russell surveys the social and political consequences of his beliefs. From a devastating critique of the ancestry of fascism to a vehement defence of 'useless' knowledge, with consideration given to everything from insect pests to the human soul, In Praise of Idleness is a tour de force that only Bertrand Russell could perform.

In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays

Reviews