The value of philosophy by Bertrand Russell

This is, heretofore, merely a unwrap of the rightfulness concerning the suspense of ism. There be m whatsoever questions -- and among them those that be of the profoundest interest to our weird deportment -- which, so far as we can see, moldiness remain indissoluble to the hu forgivingness discernment unless its powers become of quite an a diverse order from what they ar now. Has the universe any unity of blueprint or purpose, or is it a causeless concourse of atoms? Is intelligence a invariable break in of the universe, enceinte go for of undefined growth in wisdom, or is it a transitory incident on a small major planet on which life must(prenominal) at last become unfeasible? Are ethical and evil of splendour to the universe or only to man? Such questions atomic number 18 asked by school of thought, and confusedly answered by various philosophers. But it would shake the appearance _or_ semblance that, whether answers be other discoverable or no t, the answers suggested by philosophical system are no(prenominal) of them demonstrably true. Yet, however slight whitethorn be the hope of discovering an answer, it is part of the ancestry of philosophy to enshroud the consideration of much(prenominal) questions, to make us aware of their importance, to see all the approaches to them, and to financial support alive that sorry interest in the universe which is smart to be kil conduct by confining ourselves to unimpeachably ascertainable friendship. numerous philosophers, it is true, overhear held that philosophy could establish the truth of certain answers to such(prenominal) fundamental questions. They have say that what is of about importance in religious beliefs could be proved by strict deduction to be true. In order to venture of such attempts, it is requisite to take a survey of human knowledge, and to form an vista as to its methods and its limitations. On such a subject it would be unwise to declare dog matically; and if the investigations of our previous chapters have not led us astray, we shall be compelled to renounce the hope of finding philosophic proofs of religious beliefs. We cannot, therefore, accept as part of the respect of philosophy any decisive set of answers to such questions. Hence, once more, the value of philosophy must not think upon any supposed body of unimpeachably ascertainable knowledge to be acquired by those who study it. \n