RUSSELL, Bertrand. Religion and Science. London: Thornton Butterworth Ltd. 1935.
Small 8vo. Original blue-grey cloth printed in blue, original yellow dustwrapper printed in black; pp. 256, [4, publisher's catalogue]; a little marking to dustwrapper, cloth spine sunned, previous owner's ink signature to front pastedown, very good.
First edition of Russell's history of the conflicts between science and traditional religion from the Renaissance to the twentieth century, number 178 in The Home University Library of Modern Knowledge, the remarkable series of popular non-fiction books written by the eminent intellectuals of the time.
He argues that empiricism always overcomes dogma, but also sees that science cannot address individual, mystical experiences. This is the central intellectual tension of the post-Enlightenment world and the reason why ideology will always continue to threaten progress. In the final pages Russell expands his definition of dogma to include the secular movements of Fascism and Communism, a sobering mark of his prescience on the brink of the Second World War.
SKU: 2125153