Chronology Entry
Year
1921
Text
Xu, Zhimo. Luosu you e ji shu hou [ID D28380].
What I wish to say is that the complicacy of things in this world and the inflatedness of information have prevented us from making a fair judgment unless we can think through what we have pieced together with first-hand knowledge. As Russell was so well versed in philosophy and so erudite, he should have been able to be unemotional, and yet he still could not do so. But I sincerely admire his uprightness and impartiality. When he was fond of red, he stuck to red ; and when he was no longer fond of it, he went back to white. There is now an awakening among the younger generation in China. I hope they will stick to red if they are fond of red, stick to white if they are fond of white. It is unnecessary for them to take red because others are red, or force themselves to take white simply because others are white. The young people in China have no individuality. They are good merely at changing to and admiring what is novel, the fault of which is the same as that of bigotry. I hope Russell will cure them.
Gaylord Leung : After Xu Zhimo read Russell's book, he totally lost his faith in communism. Russell's views on communism had shaped Xu's political thought throughout the rest of his life.
What I wish to say is that the complicacy of things in this world and the inflatedness of information have prevented us from making a fair judgment unless we can think through what we have pieced together with first-hand knowledge. As Russell was so well versed in philosophy and so erudite, he should have been able to be unemotional, and yet he still could not do so. But I sincerely admire his uprightness and impartiality. When he was fond of red, he stuck to red ; and when he was no longer fond of it, he went back to white. There is now an awakening among the younger generation in China. I hope they will stick to red if they are fond of red, stick to white if they are fond of white. It is unnecessary for them to take red because others are red, or force themselves to take white simply because others are white. The young people in China have no individuality. They are good merely at changing to and admiring what is novel, the fault of which is the same as that of bigotry. I hope Russell will cure them.
Gaylord Leung : After Xu Zhimo read Russell's book, he totally lost his faith in communism. Russell's views on communism had shaped Xu's political thought throughout the rest of his life.
Subjects
Philosophy : Europe : Great Britain