Elogio dell'ozio

Paperback, 197 pages

Italian language

Published June 28, 2012 by TEA.

ISBN:
978-88-502-2731-0
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5 stars (1 review)

This is a collection of essays by Bertrand Russell first published in 1935. In the 1932 essay which gives the title to the volume, Russell propose people work for a maximum of 4 hours-per-day to think, socialise, etc. Other essays treat about sociology, philosophy and economy and also technical architectural problems are discussed in a social frame proposing solutions.

CONTENTS (original edition)

Preface

I In praise of idleness (1932)

II "Useless" knowledge

III Architecture and social questions

IV The modern Midas

V The ancestry of fascism

VI Scylla and Charybdis; or, communism and fascism

VII The case for socialism

VIII Western civilization

IX On youthful cynicism (1929)

X Modern homogeneity (1930)

XI Men versus insects (1933)

XII Education and discipline

XIII Stoicism and mental health (1928)

XIV On comets

XV What is the soul?

6 editions

Review of 'In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

The title essay is not necessarily all that convincing but the other essays scrape together a cohesive image for an age beyond the industrial revolution. Re-imagining our own history through Russell's eyes is informative. Imagining a reframe of the present in terms of our potential future can actually change the way we live now. I rarely read a book that changes my thought processes in this way but I read Russell's essays almost a decade ago and the ideas are still with me.

Subjects

  • Philosophy