Philosophical Liberalism
By Bertrand Russell
(This is Chapter XII of Part I, Book Three of History of Western Philosophy, 1945. Transcribed by Jeffrey Ketland, May 2005.)
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The rise of liberalism, in politics and philosophy, provides material for the study of a very general and very important question, namely: What has been the general influence of political and social circumstances upon the thoughts of eminent and original thinkers, and, conversely, what has been the influence of these men upon subsequent political and social developments?
Two opposite errors, both common are to be guarded against. On the one hand, men who are more familiar with books than with affairs are apt to over-estimate the influence of philosophers. When they see some political party proclaiming itself inspired by So-and-so’s teaching, they think its actions are attributable to So-and-So, whereas, not infrequently, the philosopher is only acclaimed because he recommends what the…
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Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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