Certainty Is A Disease Disrupting Efforts to Learn

In so many ways Bertrand Russell is a mentor for those of us who dream of certainty and then wake to a world where it is a perverse delusion. 

His writings and speeches demonstrate the pathway for those of us who seek knowledge as the preface for righting wrongs. Knowledge adds value to addressing wrongs only to the extent that our beliefs and decisions are moderated by recognition that we may be wrong in our social diagnoses. 

Russell's lifelong advocacy of religious skepticism, women's rights, world peace, and efforts to provide social justice to the poor are fervid missions in his life. Yet that advocacy is softened by respect for how easily our passions drive us to certainty and its consequent roadblock to lifelong learning.

When asked what message he would offer to those in the next century, he replied: "The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity."

Critical thinking demands of us that we acknowledge how little we know and the mandate to really hear those who insist on our error.

Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970) is known for his extensive contributions in multiple disciplines, including mathematics and philosophy, as a pioneer of several schools of thought. His reflections on skepticism are a model for thinkers looking to break free of the limiting constructs that hinder critical thinking.