Power. A New Social Analysis
Bertrand Russell
Translated by Dmitry Kralechkin. — Moscow: Gaidar Institute Press, 2024. — 328 p.
ISBN 978-5-93255-677-1
Marx saw the clue to human nature in wealth, Freud in sex, and Bertrand Russell in power. Power, he argued, is the ultimate goal of man and, in many different guises, the most important element in the development of any society. In the late 1930s, when extremist ideologies tore apart Europe and the world was on the brink of war, Russell decided to launch a “new science” to make sense of the dramatic events of the time and explain those that would follow. Thus came Power (1938), a remarkable book that Russell considered one of the most important of his long career. Speaking out against the totalitarian quest for domination, he shows how political enlightenment, and human understanding can lead to peace. His book is a passionate cry for the independence of reason and a glorification of the instinctive joy of human life.
ISBN 978-5-93255-677-1
Marx saw the clue to human nature in wealth, Freud in sex, and Bertrand Russell in power. Power, he argued, is the ultimate goal of man and, in many different guises, the most important element in the development of any society. In the late 1930s, when extremist ideologies tore apart Europe and the world was on the brink of war, Russell decided to launch a “new science” to make sense of the dramatic events of the time and explain those that would follow. Thus came Power (1938), a remarkable book that Russell considered one of the most important of his long career. Speaking out against the totalitarian quest for domination, he shows how political enlightenment, and human understanding can lead to peace. His book is a passionate cry for the independence of reason and a glorification of the instinctive joy of human life.