“As a philosopher, if I were speaking to a purely philosophic audience I should say that I ought to describe myself as an Agnostic, because I do not think that there is a conclusive argument by which one can prove that there is not a God. On the other hand, if I am to convey the right impression to the ordinary man in the street I think that I ought to say that I am an Atheist, because, when I say that I cannot prove that there is not a God, I ought to add equally that I cannot prove that there are not the Homeric gods.”

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Originally said in English.

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About Bertrand Russell

British philosopher and logician of the early 20th century, Russell is best known for pioneering formal logic and his influential work in analytic philosophy. His writings on ethics, politics, and the dangers of war—particularly his 1950 Nobel Prize in Literature acceptance speech—remain widely cited for their clarity and moral urgency.

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