the 10 commandments for the our era

[Kershaw]

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.

by Bertrand Russell

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/05/02/a-liberal-decalogue-bertrand-russell/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+brainpickings%2Frss+%28Brain+Pickings%29&utm_content=FeedBurner

[joshh]

For the most part I like those. #1 I disagree with entirely. #10 I'm not sure what he means there exactly. I have my own idea of what that is of course and it fits perfectly. But he seems to leave that open for wide interpretation.

[Kershaw]

concerning #1, the world is not permanent and your understanding of the world is based on your experiences, which are inherently biased as they are seen from your eyes and your previous experiences. which will be different from someone else.

he's basically saying you can never really know anything for absolute certain.

i think #10 is about the grass being greener on the other side. or maybe he is talking about kanye.

[fronton]

Funny this came up. I just read through the old e30 manuals which stipulate their "10 Commandments of energy conscious driving" one of my favorites is commandment 10: "Having faith is good, checking is better"

[Fusion]

#1 I think has a lot to do with optimism, self-confidence, and your overall mindset.

#4 I would replace both instances of the word 'authority' with 'emotions'. Although it depends on the person and usually authority and emotions outweigh eachother, ie. the higher authority you have, the less emotions you express and vice versa. (in an argumental situation)