Bad philosophers may have a certain influence; good philosophers, never.
Interpretation
The impact of philosophy depends greatly on its quality, as bad ideas can spread but good ones often go unacknowledged.
In this quote, Bertrand Russell suggests that while bad philosophers can sway opinions and ideas, the influence of good philosophers is often overlooked or understated. This highlights the unfortunate reality that important, thoughtful contributions to philosophy may not receive the recognition they deserve, whereas flawed ideas can gain traction more easily. The quote serves as a reminder of the importance of discernment in philosophical thought and the often unappreciated value of insightful philosophy.
In practice
This quote can be used in a philosophical discussion about the impact of ideas on society.
St. Paul introduced an entirely novel view of marriage, that it existed primarily to prevent the sin of fornication. It is just as if one were to maintain that the sole reason for baking bread is to prevent people from stealing cake.
Freedom comes only to those who no longer ask of life that it shall yield them any of those personal goods that are subject to the mutations of time.
Of these austerer virtues the love of truth is the chief, and in mathematics, more than elsewhere, the love of truth may find encouragement for waning faith. Every great study is not only an end in itself, but also a means of creating and sustaining a lofty habit of mind; and this purpose should be kept always in view throughout the teaching and learning of mathematics.
At all times, except when a monarch could enforce his will, war has been facilitated by the fact that vigorous males, confident of victory, enjoyed it, while their females admired them for their prowess.
Moreover, the attitude that one ought to believe such and such a proposition, independently of the question whether there is evidence in its favor, is an attitude which produces hostility to evidence and causes us to close our minds to every fact that does not suit our prejudices.
Extreme hopes are born from extreme misery.
Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't.
When we become truly ourselves, we just become a swinging door, and we are purely independent of, and at the same time, dependent upon everything.
The requirements for our evolution have changed. Survival is no longer sufficient. Our evolution now requires us to develop spiritually-to become emotionally aware and make responsible choices. It requires us to align ourselves with the values of the soul-harmony, cooperation, sharing, and reverence for life.
When someone sets his affections upon the cross and the love of Christ, he crucifies the world as a dead and undesirable thing. The baits of sin lose their attraction and disappear. Fill your affections with the cross of Christ and you will find no room for sin.
If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life.
All spirits are enslaved which serve things evil
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