In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays cover

In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays

by Bertrand Russell

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?

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?