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Meaning
Russell is contrasting facts with values. He treats change as something observable and certain, while progress depends on judgment about what counts as improvement. The quote suggests that not every change should be assumed to be progress.
When It Was Said
Not documented yet.
Who It Was Said To
Not documented yet.
Historical Context
Not documented yet.
Source
philosophy and politics (1947)
Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
Did They Really Say It?
The phrase appears in the book "philosophy and politics (1947)" by Bertrand Russell (Google Books snippet); no earlier source was checked.
Did You Know?
Not documented yet.
About Bertrand Russell
Welsh mathematician and philosopher
Bertrand Russell was a Welsh mathematician and philosopher, and a founder of analytic philosophy. He became one of the leading philosophers of the 20th century, known for work in logic, set theory, and the philosophy of language. He also helped bring philosophy to a wider public through his books and commentary. Outside academic philosophy, he was widely known for his outspoken atheism, pacifism, and opposition to nuclear weapons, and he often wrote on social and political questions.
More from Bertrand Russell (242 quotes) →More quotes by Bertrand Russell
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- “Extreme hopes are born from extreme misery.”Bertrand Russell
Progress: more sayings
- “The natural heat, say the good-fellows,first seats itself in the feet: that concerns infancy; thence it mount…”Michel de Montaigne
- “Many women try to advance in their careers by having all the answers; by being the go-to person for informati…”Adena Friedman
- “Progress would be wonderful - if only it would stop.”Robert Musil
Science: more sayings
- “Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality. When we recognize…”Carl Sagan
- “I like science fiction and physics, things like that. Planets being sucked into black holes, and the various…”Wesley Snipes
- “The Analytical Engine has no pretensions whatever to originate anything. It can do whatever we know how to or…”Ada Lovelace
READ THE SOURCE
Books by Bertrand Russell
The Problems of Philosophy
2007
Roads to Freedom
2007
Unpopular Essays
2020
Authority and the Individual
1985
Autobiography
2000