"Free Thought and Official Propaganda," a speech delivered by Bertrand Russell in 1922, initially defines freedom of thought as liberation from unquestioning belief in religion, dogma, or ideology. He expands this concept to mean freedom from societal pressures and penalties when expressing one's opinions. Russell emphasizes the need for rational thinking as essential for advancing the truthfulness of our beliefs-the only way, in Russell's view, to solve the evils of the modern world. In his concluding remarks, he identifies three factors that contribute toward irrational, and therefore distorted, conceptions of the truth: an education system that indoctrinates students rather than teaching them how to think; the public's susceptibility to propaganda; and the economic pressures imposed by the State and political entities that restrict the choices of dissenters.
This Warbler Classics edition contains Russell's 1914 essay, "Mysticism and Logic," where Russell argues that combining poetic imagination with scientific determinism produces the greatest intellectual achievements. It also includes an extensively researched, detailed biographical timeline.