Comment: Bertrand Russell observes that strongly held passionate opinions, especially regarding politicized or religious matters, are often lacking in rational justification or evidence. The intensity of feeling behind such beliefs paradoxically signals the lack of sound reasoning supporting them.The opinions that are held with passion are always those for which no good ground exists; indeed the passion is the measure of the holder’s lack of rational conviction.
Opinions in politics and religion are almost always held passionately.
Credit: Bertrand Russell
Posts: Bertrand Russell (1)
Books: Bertrand Russell (1)
Quotations: Bertrand Russell (7)
- Bertrand Russell’s Ten Commandments for Critical Thinking Bertrand Russell
- Fools’ Certainty Bertrand Russell
- I Do Not Pretend to Start with Precise Questions Bertrand Russell
- If Everything Must Have a Cause, Then God Must Have a Cause Bertrand Russell (1927)
- It Has Been Said That Man Is a Rational Animal Bertrand Russell
- The Fundamental Cause of Trouble in the World Bertrand Russell
- What Men Really Want Is Not Knowledge but Certainty Bertrand Russell
Tags: Bertrand Russell (10) | opinion (9) | passion (6) | rationality (9)
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Online Knowledge Café: Conversational Leadership — Beyond Knowledge Management
Wednesday 17th March 2026, 14:00 - 15:30 London time
Knowledge Management gives us access to information, but it does not decide or act. In this Knowledge Café, we will explore how Conversational Leadership builds on KM by strengthening shared reasoning, judgement, and agency. Join us to examine how we think together when knowledge alone is not enough.
This quotation is part of a blook on Conversational Leadership. It is one of many quotations that have influenced my thinking on the subject. Parts of this blook have restricted access. You may browse the pages open to you, but you will need to register and be approved before you can login and access the full site. When you register, you may also sign-up to receive a quotation of the day by email.