Bertrand Russell, philosopher and polymath, gave us ten commandments supplemental to those from the Bible:
- Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.
- Do not think it worthwhile to proceed by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light.
- Never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed.
- When you meet with opposition, endeavor to overcome it by argument and not by authority, for a victory dependent upon authority is unreal and illusory.
- Have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always contrary authorities to be found.
- Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do the opinions will suppress you.
- Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
- Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent than in passive agreement, for, if you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper agreement than the latter.
- Be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient when you try to conceal it.
- Do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool’s paradise, for only a fool will think that it is happiness.
My favourite is the first one, and the whole list speaks to being a) brave enough so as to be b) hungry for knowledge and to learn from others, c) open to changing your ideas from such learning, as well as d) humble enough to accept you don’t have the answers. Brave, Hungry, Open, Humble, the attributes of #OpenLeadership. For more, read this piece and then, if you’d like to explore further, book a call with me, I love to listen and talk through these ideas.
