Socrates’ Questmust we not take care of ourselves as souls – as persons, with
purposes and desires? And nothing is more beautiful than a
soul growing wings and fl ying high.
Are you ever afraid of God’s judgement in denying him?
RUSSELL: Most certainly not. I observe that a very large
portion of the human race does not believe in God and
suffers no visible punishment in consequence. And, if there
was such a God, I think it very unlikely that he would have
such an uneasy vanity as to be offended by those who doubt
his existence.
SOCRATES: I understand Professor Russell’s concern with
divine vanity; Homer is full of it. But, then, we should be
more careful of the way we talk about the gods, not blame
the gods. Divine judgement must be what we strive for in
justice. And, since justice is so diffi cult to defi ne, we can only
gain from submitting our own ideas to what a god’s judge-
ment might be. So, yes, I am afraid of divine judgement.
How do agnostics explain the beauty and harmony of nature?
RUSSELL: I do not understand where this ‘beauty’ and
‘harmony’ are supposed to be found. Throughout the
animal kingdom, animals ruthlessly prey upon each other ...
I suppose the questioner is thinking of such things as the
beauty of the starry heavens. But one should remember that
stars every now and then explode ... Beauty, in any case, is
subjective and exists only in the eye of the beholder.
SOCRATES: Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder. But
then the eye can lead you to lovely things. And if I may say
so, professor, although I know nothing, there is one thing
I am good at: spotting people’s problems with love. Your
agnosticism seems to make you very wary about what you
should love. Does it not close you down? Love should open
you up, for love, even mad love, is needed to fi nd those
things that are truly beautiful.
What is the meaning of life to the agnostic?
RUSSELL: I feel inclined to answer by another question: what
is the meaning of ‘the meaning of life’? I suppose what is