“there is a discrepancy sufficiently important to cause me to write”

Philip K. Dick to Simon & Schuster [Russell's American publishers]

May 21, 1957

At the time he wrote this letter—May 21, 1957—Philip K. Dick (1928-1982) was a relatively unknown science fiction writer. While he would win the Hugo award in 1963, he never achieved financial success nor was he widely acclaimed during his lifetime outside the science-fiction world. He has become renowned since his death in 1982, and several of his stories have been popularized through movies, including Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report.

In contrast, in 1957, Russell was a well-known public figure and writer and had been the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950. His A History of Western Philosophy had been published in 1945 and was a popular and commercial success.

It was after reading this book that Dick wrote the letter displayed here, addressed to Russell’s American publisher and forwarded to Russell for reply. Dick finds that “there is a discrepancy sufficiently important to cause me to write.” He takes issue with Russell’s inconsistent manner in contrasting Socrates and Thomas Aquinas. Dick goes so far as to accuse Russell of writing “propaganda” and dismissing the History as “a tract against Russell’s foes.”

In his reply of May 27 (a copy of which is in the Russell archives), Russell concedes that the “inconsistency you point out is real and regrettable.” He then adds: “I cannot, of course, accept your general stricture on my book.”

There are no other letters from Dick in the Russell archives.

Sources: (1) Bertrand Russell. The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell, 1944-1967 (Volume III). London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd., 1969. (2) Letter from Bertrand Russell to Philip K. Dick, 27 May 1957 (Bertrand Russell Archives, box 5.12, document 049181). (3) Wikipedia contributors. (2018, July 15). Philip K. Dick. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14:34, July 16, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Philip_K._Dick&oldid=850405328

[Handwritten note at the top of page]: [1]

Editor-in-chief May 21, 1957
Simon & Schuster, Inc
630 Fifth Avenue
New York 20,
N.Y.

Dear Sir:

In the book “A History of Western Philosophy” by Bertrand Russell there is a discrepancy sufficiently important to cause me to write. I’d be curious to know if it has already been pointed out to you. I quote from pages 142/3:

“… He (the Platonic Socrates) has, however, some very grave defects. He is dishonest and sophistical in argument, and in his private thinking he uses intellect to prove conclusions that are to him agreeable, rather than in a disinterested search for knowledge. There is something smug and unctuous about him…unlike some of his predecessors, he was not scientific in his thinking, but was determined to prove the universe agreeable to his ethical standards. This is treachery to truth, and the worst of philosophic sins.”

Now, on page 463, this:

“…There is little of the true philosophic spirit in (Saint Thomas) Aquinas. He does not, like the Platonic Socrates, set out to follow wherever the argument may lead. He is not engaged in an inquiry, the result of which it is impossible to know in advance. Before he begins to philosophize, he already knows the truth.”

It is clear that Lord Russell is accusing both the Platonic Socrates and Saint Thomas of exactly the same “sin,” but that by some odd formula (things opposite to each other are identical, perhaps) the evil Socrates on pages 142/3 becomes the noble model with which to contrast Saint Thomas on page 463. I can’t help feeling that this is not an indictment of the publisher, but an indictment of the book – which is more a tract against Russell’s foes than what it pretends to be: a study of various philosophies as they appear in history. If ever a respected and learned man used his powers in the service of propaganda, this surely is such a use.

Cordially,

                                                                                                  [signature]
Philip K. Dick
                                                                                                  1126 Francisco St.
                                                                                                  Berkeley 2, Calif.

[1] This is a note from M. Lincoln Schuster of Russell’s American publisher, Simon & Schuster, who had received the letter and forwarded it to him. Russell chose to reply.

View Image

Bertrand Russell Archives, Box 5.12, Document 049180. Copyright © The Philip K. Dick Testamentary Trust, used by permission of The Wylie Agency (UK) Limited. Copy provided for personal and research use only. For any other use, permission of the copyright holder is required.