The Scientific Outlook (Routledge Classics)

This book is a series of essays grouped together into three sections. Scientific Knowledge is a primer on how the role it plays in overall thinking and philosophy. There is more to establishing an ideology than science and it needs to work in conjunction with the arts for example. The second section is the "How To" of the Scientific Method and the third is a scary portrayal of how a purely scientific world society might end up. It was originally published about the same time as 1984 and Brave New World all three of these writers obviously saw the potential risk of what Russell describes as science for power's sake rather than for the love of knowledge and learning.Many years ago I read much if not all of these essays about the value of the Scientific Method (or Technique as he says). I was won over and as a student of Social Sciences I attempted to use the method to the best of my ability. I also appreciated his socially liberal outlook that can be seen throughout. Years hence, upon re-reading the book I find that I still appreciate the writing but I have been inured in my thinking that the world will be a better place with the Scientific Method playing a larger role in policy making.Some of Russell's sentiment of 1931 does not play that well today, such as his tempered admiration for the USSR but many others should his prescient thinking. Those incident's were many but I will only present one and that is because I saw it as true but funny in a melancholy way. In the third section he describes how people in the scientific world society will have no wars and therefore will have to have death defying games in order for those personality types to be able to vent there lust. Today we have reality television.

This is a Bertrand Russell deep-track that explores how science has affected the world (up to 1931 when this was first published), and his prophecies of how science would affect the future world. His assessments are keen, albeit at times seemingly a bit rambling. His predictions have proven, so far, to be a tad pessimistic, but they are still great food for thought. This book deserves a spot on every Russell reader's bookshelf, but it may be a bit "non-epic" for anybody looking for some of Mr. Russell's more notable and heroic works.

This book written by the nobel prize winning writer,is interesting! I wont go into what the book is about but he does go into how science developed,and how it progressed and the type of scientific world we have today and he offers a surprising conclusion,but not for readers who are used to him. As a philosopher Russell is a writer i read from my early youth,and he is someone whoose papers i believe are now in mcmaster in hamilton, who is quite different. The type of scientific world he describes,is a world where science is manipulated by people,and if those aims are good all is fine and if those aims are bad the opposite is true? Whether our world is heading towards a world of aldous huxley or george orwell is for others to judge. There is an old maxim that as the world becomes one in nature and as science advances this will be true,the advances of society must be felt at the community level,since that is the world of science we experience. An important point he mentions is people dont really try to study or research before they begin they manipulate things to their or some perceived advantage...science are bestadvanced by people he sais at books end filled with love,the poetic or mystic mind,not the manipulator who before he begins his procedure already has in mind what he wants to do,to the advantage of this or that. Of course that view has nothing to do with science,it is a result of all that was going wrong in life...at the beginning of the book he states all people even adults,have child like or scientific minds,there really is not a middling ground. I do believe given the development of society,the absence of religious consciousness is sorely felt throughout our world,to those worlds ultimate demise,and thats my christian view..the writer admits the attempt to build a scientific society based on reason even love has failed...so i dont know where the future of the world will go...butthe world each year is increasingly orwellian...and my own view is the departure from a christian consciousness...as the author says science goes through and is interpreted through a persons mind,and its best practiced by thosefilled with love...not be those who manipulate and interfere with the scientic process...manipulators just confirm their own conclusions

What can you say , blueprint for future governments behaviour