In Praise of Idleness: The Classic Essay with a New Introduction by Bradley Trevor Greive

ISBN: 1250098718

Author: Russell, Third Earl Bertrand

Condition: New

About the AuthorBERTRAND RUSSELL was a British mathematician, philosopher, logician, historian, and writer. Regarded as one of the most luminous minds in the history of humanity, Lord Russell received countless awards and honors throughout his long and celebrated life, including the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950. His books include A History of Western Philosophy and In Praise of Idleness.Product DescriptionBertrand Russell is considered the Voltaire of his time, and Bradley Trevor Greive is considered one of the funniest people of his. Russell was a Nobel Laureate, and Greive is a New York Times bestselling author. Together, with Russell bringing the philosophy and Greive bringing the hilarious commentary, this book is a classic.In his celebrated essay, In Praise of Idleness, Russell champions the seemingly incongruous notion that realizing our full potential-and thus enjoying the greatest possible success and happiness-is not accomplished by working harder or smarter, but through harnessing the extraordinary power of idleness.Russells penetrating insights and exquisite turns of phrase feel as fresh and relevant today as when they were first written. Arguing that we can achieve far more by doing far less and that traditional wealth accumulation is a form of cultural and moral poverty, Russell demands greater depth from our age of abundant creativity and heralds the next wave of enlightened entrepreneurs.Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.In Praise of IdlenessA Timeless EssayBy Bertrand Russell, Bradley Trevor Greive St. Martin's PressCopyright 1996 The Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation Ltd, NottinghamAll rights reserved.ISBN: 978-1-250-09871-9Contentstitle page,copyright notice,dedication,epigraph,acknowledgements,preface,introduction,In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell,afterword In Praise of Doubt by Bradley Trevor Greive,[escalated] further reading,notes,other books by bertrand russell and bradley trevor greive,about the authors,copyright,CHAPTER 1In PRAISE of IDLENESSby Bertrand RussellLike most of my generation, I was brought up on the saying: "Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do." Being a highly virtuous child, I believed all that I was told, and acquired a conscience which has kept me working hard down to the present moment. But although my conscience has controlled my actions, my opinions have undergone a revolution. I think that there is far too much work done in the world, that immense harm is caused by the belief that work is virtuous, and that what needs to be preached in modern industrial countries is quite different from what always has been preached. Everyone knows the story of the traveller in Naples who saw twelve beggars lying in the sun (it was before the days of Mussolini), and offered a lira to the laziest of them. Eleven of them jumped up to claim it, so he gave it to the twelfth. This traveller was on the right lines. But in countries which do not enjoy Mediterranean sunshine idleness is more difficult, and a great public propaganda will be required to inaugurate it. I hope that, after reading the following pages, the leaders of the YMCA will start a campaign to induce good young men to do nothing. If so, I shall not have lived in vain.Before advancing my own arguments for laziness, I must dispose of one which I cannot accept. Whenever a person who already has enough to live on proposes to engage in some everyday kind of job, such as school-teaching or typing, he or she is told that such conduct takes the bread out of other people's mouths, and is therefore wicked. If this argument were valid, it would only be necessary for us all to be idle in order that we should all have our mouths full of bread. What people who say such things forget is that what a man earns he usually spends, and in spending he gives employment. As long as a man spends his income, he puts just as much bread into people's mouths in spending