Including Sadistic Impulses, Religion, Superstition, Envy, Economic Nationalism, Pride, Racism, Sex Superiority, Creeds, And Other Evil Things.

A classic collection of Bertrand Russell’s more controversial works, reaffirming his staunch liberal values, Unpopular Essays is one of Russell’s most characteristic and self-revealing books. Written to "combat... the growth in Dogmatism", on first publication in 1950 it met with critical acclaim and a wide readership and has since become one of his most accessible and popular books.

In this volume of essays Bertrand Russell is concerned to combat, in one way or another, the growth of dogmatism, whether of the Right or of the Left, which has hitherto characterised our tragic century. This serious purpose inspires them even if, at times, they seem flippant; for those who are solemn and pontifical. In subject they range from Philosophy for the Layman, The Functions of a Teacher, and The Future of Mankind to an Outline of Intellectual Rubbish, Ideas that have helped Mankind and Ideas that have Harmed Mankind.

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 defense 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.

This book presents the 1946 National Book League lecture, delivered by Bertrand Russell on the relationship between philosophies and the development of political systems.