Source: The Outline of History (1920), Ch. 28
“True revolutionary doctrine teaches that the only law is rationalism and dynamic optimism.”
—
Charles Stross
,
book
Singularity Sky
Source: Singularity Sky (2003), Chapter 11, “Circus of Death” (p. 234)
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Charles Stross 211
British science fiction writer and blogger 1964Related quotes
“Optimism is true moral courage.”
Ernest Shackleton
(1874–1922) Anglo-Irish polar explorer
Quoted in South with Shackleton (1949) by L. D. A. Hussey; also in The National Geographic Magazine (1998), Vol. 194, p. 90 https://books.google.com/books?id=RflKAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Optimism+is+true+moral+courage%22&dq=%22Optimism+is+true+moral+courage%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=uPISVYCTK8_loAT_kYDIBw&ved=0CNABEOgBMCA
Preface to the Third Edition (August 1942)
The Mass Psychology of Fascism (1933)
Context: If, by being revolutionary, one means rational rebellion against intolerable social conditions, if, by being radical, one means "going to the root of things," the rational will to improve them, then fascism is never revolutionary. True, it may have the aspect of revolutionary emotions. But one would not call that physician revolutionary who proceeds against a disease with violent cursing but the other who quietly, courageously and conscientiously studies and fights the causes of the disease. Fascist rebelliousness always occurs where fear of the truth turns a revolutionary emotion into illusions.
Source: 1930s, Propagation problems and impulse problems in dynamic economics, 1933, p. 197
Bernard Mandeville
(1670–1733) Anglo-Dutch writer and physician
La doctrine économique d'Adam Smith, c'est la doctrine de Mandeville, exposée sous une forme non plus paradoxale et littéraire, mais rationnelle et scientifique.
Élie Halévy La formation du radicalisme philosophique (Paris: F. Alcan, 1901-4) vol. 1, p. 162; Mary Morris (trans.) The Growth of Philosophic Radicalism (Clifton, N.J.: A. M. Kelley, 1972) p. 90.
Criticism
“Clarke's Law of Revolutionary Ideas”
Arthur C. Clarke
(1917–2008) British science fiction writer, science writer, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host
The Promise of Space http://books.google.com/books?id=FWwhAAAAMAAJ&dq=The+Promise+of+Space&ei=ab0yR__TKZzuoAL_mf3RDw&ie=ISO-8859-1&pgis=1 (1968); This and similar statements attributed to Mahatma Gandhi and J. B. S. Haldane may ultimately be derived from a statement attibuted to Arthur Schopenhauer:
On Clarke's Laws
Context: Clarke's Law of Revolutionary Ideas: Every revolutionary idea — in science, politics, art, or whatever — seems to evoke three stages of reaction. They may be summed up by the phrases:(1) "It's completely impossible — don't waste my time";
(2) "It's possible, but it's not worth doing";
(3) "I said it was a good idea all along."