Men fear thought as
they fear nothing else on earth -- more than ruin, more even than death.
Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, thought is
merciless to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habits;
thought is anarchic and lawless, indifferent to authority, careless of the
well-tried wisdom of the ages. Thought looks into the pit of hell and is not
afraid ... Thought is great and swift and free, the light of the world, and the
chief glory of man.
(Bertrand Russell, Why
Men Fight, 1916)
