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About this quote

What does it mean?
People who ignore moral judgments and focus only on facts are more likely to do good than those driven by personal desires.
In plain terms
Fact‑based thinking can lead to better outcomes than desire‑driven reasoning.
What can you take from it?
Prioritize objective analysis over personal bias when seeking ethical action.

Where it applies

  • policy making
  • scientific research
  • journalism

Putting it to work

  • use data-driven decision making
  • check personal motives

Questions to consider

  • Can facts alone guide moral choices?
  • When do desires enhance ethical decisions?

Another view

Pure factual analysis can ignore important moral context.

More from Bertrand Russell

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  2. In science men have discovered an activity of the very highest value in which they are no longer, as in art, dependent for progress upon the appearance of cont…

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  3. When the intensity of emotional conviction subsides, a man who is in the habit of reasoning will search for logical grounds in favour of the belief which he fi…

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