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Russell’s In Praise of Idleness and Other Essays; notably Western Civilization is

one of his achievements as a prose writer as well as philosopher. His essays attempt to
break new grounds in prose and present a critical solution to the contemporary work and
civilization related issues.

According to Russell the major desire for an increasing number of Whites in America,
Europe and Australia and other White-majority areas of the world is to preserve
Western Civilization against the encroachment of Third World immigration. But the
question is what they are trying to preserve. In other words what are the essential
elements of Western Civilization? Though Religion, Technology, Art, Literature and
Language are very important aspects of civilization but at least there are two things that
are the core of Western Civilization. The first is the White race which built that
civilization. According to Russell, other races have never equaled the Western
Civilization though they have copied the Western Civilization as Japan did. There have
been many races which achieved high degree of civilization on their own---- the Incas,
the Chinese, the Indians and the Arabs. The latter two should be classed as White or
part White. These two seem to have been historical periods in which their achievements
exceeded those of Whites of the same period. Though, these civilizations lasted longer
they were not able to reach a level which the White has reached. Blacks have never had a
civilization. The ancient Egyptians were not black---as it is clear from the bust of Queen
Nefertiti for example. They were never able to sustain any civilization except it was
offered in Silver platter by the European colonial period in Africa.

The second thing, according to Russell, to be the core of Western Civilization is

the unique nature of Western governments. The main features of Western governments
are: First the commitment to the rule of law rather than of men. The second,
commitment to the security of property rights and the third, development and
sustenance of individual liberty which may alternatively be thought as limited
government in the sense that more ‘liberty’ the government has, the less its citizens do.

In the matter of individual liberty, there is one very special feature of Western
Civilization which has acted to preserve it…….possession of weapons by the people.
American founders were very explicit in the point. The people must be armed in order to
resist governmental tyranny, as well as for their self defense. But the connection between
liberty and an armed populace actually has much deeper historical roots. Machiavelli
states in his ‘Art of War’ that it is certain that no subject or citizens, when legally
armed, ever did the least mischief to any state. Rome remained free for 400 years and
Sparta for 800, although their citizens were armed all the time. But many other states
that have been disarmed have lost their liberty in less than 40 years.
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If this observation is true, Russell says that it clarifies what the White should
focus upon in their attempt to preserve the western Civilization. Libertarians have been
unceasing in their contention that the only way to solve the poverty and social evils of
the Third World is the introduction of Liberty but they have not addressed the
possibility that races other than the White may be incapable of sustaining a system
which makes possible the prosperity and happiness of free White men. That is Whites
are clear liberty-capable and so most probably are Asians; but whether the darker races
can sustain liberty and obtain benefits is very much a question. Russell, here, is biased of
the darker races. He thinks that the darker races are not capable of liberty. But after
him, in recent times Nelson Mandela has proved that the Blacks are also equal men like
the Whites and they can struggle for and sustain liberty.

Russell says that children require a dictatorship of the parents which withers
away as the children become independent; and other races may require a dictatorship of
an elite wiser than themselves; but whether such dictatorship can ever lead to liberty
and its legal right to use other’s property is a question which only future history can
answer.

About 40 years have passed after the death of Russell. According to his essay the future
history has now proved that his idea was wrong to much extent. He hates war but regard
war necessary for peace. The United States has become a monster unleashed in the name
of war against terrorism. Russell says that the other races are unwise and require
dictatorship of the wiser race. The question is who made the White wise. It was the Arab
nation whose knowledge and theories became the base of White’s progress and
development. So, it is clear that the dictatorship of the White has proved to be cruel and
it has led to slavery not liberty. And the result is the war everywhere in the world and
genocide of the Third World nations.

WRITTEN AND COMPOSED BY:

PROF. A. R. SOMROO

M. A. ENGLISH, M. A. EDUCATION

CELL: 03339971417