This will be a quickie. I append below the decalogue of Bertrand Russell. Had he thought to replace the Ten Commandents with a “liberal” version? Never afraid to provoke reactions from anyone, though few in history ever did so in as kind a manner, Russell nevertheless declared that his decalogue was “not intended to replace the old one but only to supplement it”.
I find these rules for living to have fared me quite well, though I don’t consider myself liberal in any sense other than perhaps how much gravy I want on my mashed taters… nor am I conservative. I like to think of myself as an undomesticable voice of reason, an agent of chaos—not to be confused with a chaos agent!
Here you go, Bertrand Russell’s Decalogue:
1. Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.
2. Do not think it worth while to proceed by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light.
3. Never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed.
4. When you meet with opposition, even if it should be from your husband or your children, endeavor to overcome it by argument and not by authority, for a victory dependent upon authority is unreal and illusory.
5. Have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always contrary authorities to be found.
6. Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do the opinions will suppress you.
7. Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
8. Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent than in passive agreement, for, if you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper agreement than the latter.
9. Be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient when you try to conceal it.
10. Do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise, for only a fool will think that it is happiness.
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