February 6, 2025

One should as a rule respect public opinion insofar as is necessary to avoid starvation and to keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny.

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), British philosopher, mathematician, The Conquest of Happiness (1930), Jay p.316

Where does that leave representative democracy? Isn’t respect for the public’s opinion on matters a prerequisite for genuine representation?

Easy for him to say. Descendent of a duke (of Bedford), an earl in his own right (the third of Russell), while he lived a life of diminishing privilege for the aristocracy, he was never under threat of an unnecessary tyranny. Nor did he ever run for elective office. As his pacifism landed him in prison during the Great War, one can only wonder if he took his own advice seriously, or just thought himself a martyr to a necessary tyranny. And by the way, there is no such thing as public opinion, singular. Only public opinions. And in this day and internet age, you can find confirmation of the craziest of opinions any day or hour.