dedicated as few men have been to the life of reason bertrand russell has always been concerned with the basic questions to which religion also addresses itself questions about mans place in the universe and the nature of the good life questions that involve life after death morality freedom education and sexual ethics he brings to his treatment of these questions the same courage scrupulous logic and lofty wisdom for which his other work as philosopher writer and teacher has been famous these qualities make the essays included in this book perhaps the most graceful and moving presentation of the freethinkers position since the days of hume and voltaire i am as firmly convinced that religions do harm as i am that they are untrue russell declares in his preface and his reasoned opposition to any system or dogma which he feels may shackle mans mind runs through all the essays in this book whether they were written as early as 1899 or as late as 1954 the book has been edited with lord russells full approval and cooperation by professor paul edwards of the philosophy department of new york university in an appendix professor edwards contributes a full account of the highly controversial bertrand russell case of 1940 in which russell was judicially declared unfit to teach philosophy at the college of the city of new york whether the reader shares or rejects bertrand russells views he will find this book an invigorating challenge to set notions a masterly statement of a philosophical position and a pure joy to read