Admiration of the proletariat, like that of dams, power stations, and aeroplanes, is part of the ideology of the machine age.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Russell says that admiring the working class is as mechanistic as admiring industrial machines, reflecting a modern, machine‑age ideology.
- In plain terms
- He compares respect for workers to respect for machines, showing a modern mindset.
- What can you take from it?
- Modern ideologies often equate human value with industrial efficiency.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does industrial metaphor shape our view of workers?
- Can human value be reduced to functional terms?
Another view
The comparison may oversimplify complex social relations.
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