Authority and the Individual

By Bertrand Russell, 1949

I am still reading the book, but one of the things which really inspire me push me to drop some notes first.

It is under the chapter of "The Role of Individuality". It talks about the value of individuality, how it changes through evolution of human.

In the beginning of human history, we considered the usefulness and how we struggled for basic living. At that time, our art was found in the tools, which meant they were dependent.

After several centuries we stepped into the Renaissance. We started to do something on an impulse. We started to appreciate art and the intrinsic value of things. We built up the art of life. For sure there were slaves, serfs and peasants, who were unable to have those luxuries - luxury was for aristocrats, bureaucracy and royal families. Yet many of us started to learn appreciation.

Time goes fast. After Industrialization and when we come to now, we have mass production. Primitive production, handicrafts or fine works have been substituted by mechanized products gradually. Capitalism slowly expanded to most countries - one could not deny that the so-called communist country China is now growing to be one of the largest capitalists.

We have started to forget the intrinsic value of a product, say a car, but we concern its monetary value. We have started to forget how it was made, how amazing the technology was involved during the production and how many people were involved to make a car - in fact most of the steps were now done by machines. We concern about how much the car is cost - the more expensive it is, the more precious it is.

Not only a product, but similar case is also applied to man. How much does one earn monthly? Does he/she have to work very hard to make money? How many hours per week does he/she have to work? People become materialistic. This change is obviously miserable. Money determines.

The writer gave an example about a scientist. He might have wanted to do a research on something, but owing to insufficient capital he had to do something else, which was sponsored by a company/the government/someone. He was no longer to be able to work independently, "but essentially part and parcel of some large organization." I agree the change is "very unfortunate". The writer said "for the things which a great man could do in solitude were apt to be more beneficial than those which he can only do with the help of the powers that be." Very pathetic. It becomes difficult to succeed in influencing human affairs, as we are now slaves as well by means of money. Slave of money, sounds like a shame.

The most impressive part in this chapter is what the writer said - "we know too much and feel too little. At least we feel too little of those creative emotions from which a good life springs."

We become realistic, materialistic and merciless. When the modern world brings us enormous things, we lose or forget probably the same amount of things. The writer Russell continued - "in regard to what is important we are passive; where we are active it is over trivialities." I think of Le Petit Prince. The prince said most people forget the meaning of life, the importance of manner and the essence of heart. They are the same. Russell talked about life - "if life is to be saved from boredom relieved only by disaster, means must be found of restoring individual initiative, not only in things that are trivial, but in the things that really matter."

One of the things I think that make man differ from most animals is we know appreciation. We feel, we think and we control. Certainly we have no choice to earn our living, yet I guess this is not the only meaning. Even we have a beautiful vase, it is valuable only when we really know the value.

Nevertheless after all this, I inevitably think pessimistically. However hard we insist on our faith or our beliefs, it seems that we are always unavoidably worn by time and experiences gradually.