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Marriage and Morals [Paperback]

Bertrand Russell
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Book Description

March 17, 1970

The fireworks fly when the great Bertrand Russell writes about a subject as provocative as marriage and morals. But they are a rational and devastatingly logical kind of fireworks . . . for that was the nature of the man.

Russell's approach to sex and love is based on the realities of need and desire, rather than on ancient tribal and religious taboos. Marriage and Morals is a clear, unbiased look at morality, a morality that is simply one aspect of Russell's lifelong opposition to restrictive dogma and an affirmation of his unshakeable faith in the adequacy of man and the power of human intellect.

"Sufficient dynamite to blast a carload of ordinary sex popularizers from the face of the earth . . . deals most competently and completely with practically every ramification of sex and sex life and occurs in modern sociology and psychology." —New York Post

"Fundamental and clear, unbiased and persuasive. Russell writes as a humanist, defending the happiness of man against many moral prejudices, advocates his changes lucidly and wittily." —Time


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Marriage and Morals + The Conquest of Happiness + Why I Am Not a Christian and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) was born in England and educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. His long career established him as one of the most influential philosophers, mathematicians, and social reformers of the twentieth century.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Liveright; 1ST edition (March 17, 1970)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0871402114
  • ISBN-13: 978-0871402110
  • Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.8 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #450,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970). Philosopher, mathematician, educational and sexual reformer, pacifist, prolific letter writer, author and columnist, Bertrand Russell was one of the most influential and widely known intellectual figures of the twentieth century. In 1950 he was awarded the Noble Prize for Literature in 1950 for his extensive contributions to world literature and for his "rationality and humanity, as a fearless champion of free speech and free thought in the West."

Customer Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
(15)
4.3 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Provocative March 10, 2003
Format:Paperback
It's hard not to cheer when you realize Russell wrote so forward-thinking a piece in the late '20s. Its ideas are still being debated today, especially in light of the recent trend toward opting out of conventional, legally bound marriages in Western countries. As a married man myself, I found Russell's condemnation of conventional sexual morality quite convincing. He doesn't advocate immature hedonism, nor does he pardon all infidelity. He actually favors marriage when children are involved. He simply rocks the foundation of marriage on Christian asceticism ('fornication is sin') and the need for certain paternity. He gives an anthropological & historical perspective on the issue that is broader than anything you're likely to hear in current debates.

My only complaint with this otherwise provocative & well-reasoned work is that some of his commentary borders on anti-Catholic. I'm not Catholic myself, but I couldn't help but wonder whether some of his persistent jabs at the Church weren't motivated by a prejudice common at that time. That isn't to say he doesn't critique Protestant morality as well, but he seems to take inordinate glee in poking the Vatican.

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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Marriage & Morals February 5, 2003
By Daniel
Format:Paperback
I found this book very well-written and full of information about the history of marriage, sexual ethics, and morals. Bertrand, in his usual style, examines the social problems of his time and why they exist. This book was written in 1929, but is still logical and modern in thinking. Bertrand wittily and cynically speaks out against the restrictive dogmas of sex and love: ?It would seem that it is only with the introduction of the patriarchal system that men came to desire virginity in their brides. Where the matrilineal system exists young women sow their wild oats as freely as young men, but this could not be tolerated when it became of great importance to persuade women that all intercourse outside of marriage is wicked.? I strongly recommend this book for anyone doing a research paper on love, marriage, or sexual ethics. If you?re looking for something to make you think, it?s also a great book. I give it four out of five stars.
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars An old book, but surprisingly still interesting April 21, 2000
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This book was originally published in 1929 so in many ways it is inevitably dated. But in many ways it is still fresh, and despite all the talk about "new morality", the controversies in his day still rage today. (This is the book that got Lord Russell in so much trouble at City College of New York) What is unique about this book that it addresses some of the dilemmas of domestic life. Dilemmas that are real yet apparently other writers don't have the courage to face.

This book deserves to be in the library of every serious thinker.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars What an insightful man.
I rated this book 4 stars because at the beginning it lost my attention. I got to around page 60 and got tired of having to turn to a dictionary every few pages. Read more
Published 2 months ago by MrWillo
5.0 out of 5 stars A for interest and effort
Bertrand Russell had the reputation as an international figure and nobel prize winner as not having so much of a
parochial national view but saw international interests in the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Anthony Marinelli
5.0 out of 5 stars The world record for the greatest amount of common sense per page!
Bertrand Russell

Marriage and Morals

Routledge Classics, Paperback, 2009.
8vo. vi+195 pp.

First published, 1929. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Alexander Arsov
4.0 out of 5 stars One's personal life is important, so apply reason to it
Great book, need to read it again. Reasonable arguments. Not afraid to talk about eugenics, or extreme different possibilities in the family, especially the role of the father. Read more
Published on January 24, 2011 by Jordan Bell
3.0 out of 5 stars What to rate it?
I had an older friend who admired Bertrand Russell and felt he was the bee's knees, and I've read he's the second most quoted author on college papers, after Noam Chomsky. Read more
Published on October 13, 2010 by King of Controversy
3.0 out of 5 stars BERTRAND RUSSELL ATTACKS TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE
Bertrand Russell
Marriage and Morals
(New York: Horace Liveright, 1929) 320 pages
(London: Allen & Unwin, 1976) 203 pages

A ground-breaking book about... Read more
Published on September 23, 2010 by James L. Park
5.0 out of 5 stars reinventing an institution
I picked this one up in hopes that my favorite philosopher might have some good I ideas on what marriage ought to be. Read more
Published on July 8, 2010 by Helm
5.0 out of 5 stars A cogent discussion on morality
I bought this book to hear about Russell's opinion of our commonly held morals and mores. Prior to this I had gone through Russell's books on epistemology and was curious to see... Read more
Published on December 25, 2009 by R. Pokkyarath
4.0 out of 5 stars Listening to a genius
The book is a little outdated but, as it's true for all his works,it allows you the exciting experience of seeing the world through the insight of a genius.
Published on August 16, 2009 by Gwynplane
5.0 out of 5 stars The talent of genius shines again!
To my mind, Bertrand Russell belongs to a very reduced of a quartet of the most emblematic and smart thinkers of the past Century (the other would be Aldous Huxley, Ortega y Gasset... Read more
Published on December 29, 2008 by Hiram Gomez Pardo
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