Quote by Bertrand Russell

I have been accused of a habit of changing my opinions. I am not myself in any degree ashamed of having changed my opinions. What physicist who was already active in 1900 would dream of boasting that his opinions had not changed during the last half century? In science men change their opinions when new knowledge becomes available; but philosophy in the minds of many is assimilated rather to theology than to science. The kind of philosophy that I value and have endeavoured to pursue is scientific, in the sense that there is some definite knowledge to be obtained and that new discoveries can make the admission of former error inevitable to any candid mind. For what I have said, whether early or late, I do not claim the kind of truth which theologians claim for their creeds. I claim only, at best, that the opinion expressed was a sensible one to hold at the time when it was expressed. I should be much surprised if subsequent research did not show that it needed to be modified. I hope, therefore, that whoever uses this dictionary will not suppose the remarks which it quotes to be intended as pontifical pronouncements, but only as the best I could do at the time towards the promotion of clear and accurate thinking. Clarity, above all, has been my aim.

Summary

In this quote, physicist and philosopher Bertrand Russell defends his habit of changing opinions by highlighting the dynamic nature of scientific knowledge. He emphasizes that in science, changing opinions are necessary and even desirable as new discoveries emerge. Russell argues that philosophy should operate on similar principles, constantly evolving with new knowledge. He distances himself from theological thinking by stating that his opinions are not absolute truths, but rather sensible conclusions based on the available information at the time. Russell's main objective is to promote clear and accurate thinking, and he hopes that readers of his work understand the tentative nature of his expressed opinions.