Human Society in Ethics and Politics

First published in 1954, Human Society in Ethics and Politics is Bertrand Russell’s last full account of his ethical and political positions relating to both politics and religion. Ethics, he argues, are necessary to man because of the conflict between intelligence and impulse – if one were without the other, there would be no place for ethics. Man’s impulses and desires are equally social and solitary. Politics and ethics are the means by which we as a society and as individuals become socially purposeful and moral codes inculcate our rules of action.

Table of Contents

Introduction Preface Part 1: Ethics 1. Sources of Ethical Beliefs and Feelings 2. Moral Codes 3. Morality as a Means 4. Good and Bad 5. Partial and General Goods 6. Moral Obligation 7. Sin 8. Ethical Controversy 9. Is there Ethical Knowledge? 10. Authority in Ethics 11. Production and Distribution 12. Superstitious Ethics 13. Ethical Sanctions Part 2: The Conflict of Passions 14. From Ethics to Politics 15. Politically Important Desires 16. Forethought and Skill 17. Myth and Magic 18. Cohesion and Rivalry 19. Scientific Technique and the Future 20. Will Religious Faith Cure Our Troubles? 21. Conquest? 22. Steps Towards a Stable Peace 23. Prologue or Epilogue Index