Russell discusses how the Bactrian Greeks were ‘separated from their mother-country by deserts and alien monarchies, losing gradually most of their Hellenism, and finally subdued by less civilized neighbors, but passing on as they faded away some part of the cultural heritage of Greece in the Buddhist sculpture which they inspired’ (p. 38).
Russell states that toleration of what you dislike is what characterizes the liberal attitude (p. 56). Writing about mental freedom Russell states that ‘education should not be such as to make its victim incapable of ever thinking an original thought’ (p. 57). Writing on freedom the writer discusses the Doukhobors, who were disliked by the Czarist Government, because on religious grounds, they refused military service. Tolstoy, as a pacifist, took up their cause and they were allowed to emigrate to Canada (p. 60). On page 61, he further writes that only those who enjoy an independent income are free from this slavery. Here slavery refers to the dependence for livelihood. Continuing the same chapter Russell states that new ideas are unpleasant to the majority of mankind. They disturb habits (p. 63).
Russell believes that in the field of Mathematics a lot of work was done in Mesopotamia (p. 63). In ancient Greece there was no powerful bureaucracy to place obstacles in the way of the popular will (p. 74). I found it very interesting to read about the whole process of MADT (refer to page 74-75).
Writing about the story of colonization, Russell writes that various agencies have been favorable to the growth of civilization. He thinks that the most important have been military conquest, commercial intercourse, and missionary zeal (p. 111). In regard to all three a very important part has been played by colonies, which form the themes of these talks. A colony, as the word was understood by the Greeks, consisted of a small group of sea-faring men accompanied by their families, all coming from some one Greek city and settling on the sea-coast of some comparatively uncivilized country (p. 111).
While discussing education, the author advocates for the teaching of a course on history. According to the author, such a course should deal with the history of Man, not with the history of this or that country. It should include things from archaeology and anthropology (p. 148). Russell says that one may say that Plato’s Academy was the first university (p. 150). Russell is of the view that men and women should inculcate an undogmatic temper, a temper of continual search and not of comfortable certainty (p.156).
Regarding truth, the author mentions that ‘Truth is a shinning goddess, always veiled, always distant, never wholly approachable, but worthy of all the devotion of which the human spirit is capable’ (p. 156).
On publicity and propaganda, the author opines that both these things have such an influence that the majority in any powerful country is pretty sure to believe whatever its government wishes it to believe (p. 217-218). He also adds that in America books giving truthful information about Russia are banned from public libraries (p. 219).
In the chapter on Psychology and East-West tension, Russell writes that ‘the dangerous state of the world is caused, I repeat, by the dangerous passions of ordinary men and women, which have been inflamed by unwise propaganda on both sides. It is these widespread passions that must be assuaged if we are to be no longer exposed to the imminent risk of total annihilation’ (p. 220). Russell states that ‘Man has risen to mastery over external dangers, but he has not risen to mastery over the internal dangers generated by his own passions of hate and envy and pride (p. 276).
Russel has also discussed Turgenev’s invention of the word ‘nihilist’ (p. 20), age of universal ugliness, agriculture, serfdom, oppression, invention of concentration camps by the British (p. 222) and other themes in this book.
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