by

Singles on one side


Bertrand Russell, writing almost a century ago about English divorce laws, wrote they are based on these assumptions

  • that sexual intercourse outside marriage is sin;
  • that resentment of adultery by the “innocent” party is a righteous horror of wrong-doing;
  • that his resentment, but nothing else, may be rightly regarded as making a common life impossible;
  • that the poor have no right to fine feelings

On women and childbearing, he writes

Very large numbers of women, when they are sufficiently free to think for themselves, do not desire to have children, or at most desire one child in order not to miss the experience which a child brings. There are women who are intelligent and active-minded who resent the slavery to the body which is involved in having children. There are ambitious women, who desire a career which leaves no time for children. There are women who love pleasure and gaiety, and women who love the admiration of men; such women will at least postpone child-bearing until their youth is past. All these classes of women are rapidly becoming more numerous, and it may be safely assumed that their numbers will continue to increase for many years to come.

What are you are thoughts on these two issues, divorce and childbearing?

About makagutu

As Onyango Makagutu I am Kenyan, as far as I am a man, I am a citizen of the world

26 thoughts on “Singles on one side”

  1. atheistsmeow >(^-^)< says:
    March 6, 2018 at 09:36

    Jumping through hoops should not be a requirement for a divorce.
    Having children, or not, should be a personal choice, & nobody else’s business.

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  2. Barry says:
    March 6, 2018 at 16:17

    If Bertrand Russell’s assessment of English divorce laws is accurate, then they are exremely dated. Adultery hasn’t been grounds for divorce here for decades. In fact the only grounds for a dissolution of a marriage is living apart for at least 2 years, or if living together during the last 2 years, no single period was longer than 3 months. This is so attempts of saving the relationship do not cause delays if the attempts are unsuccessful. Perhaps the separation time could be shortened to one year, but otherwise it think we have it about right. Perhaps what is more important is how property is divided once the marriage is dissolved. Here it’s divided strictly 50/50 unless it will cause undue financial hardship to one of the parties (a very rare situation).

    As to choosing to have children, it’s a personal decision only if no one else is required to help raise the child.

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    • makagutu says:
      March 7, 2018 at 09:15

      On raising children, he said the burden should be on the state. For two reasons; to allow parents pursue other interests and so that the population of Europe does not fall/ stagnate

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  3. john zande says:
    March 6, 2018 at 16:59

    Why don’t the poor have a right to fine feelings?

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  4. inspiredbythedivine1 says:
    March 6, 2018 at 23:59

    Well, I got divorced cause my ex-wife was an idjit. We call that idjit-dolitry here. As for having kids, if I had to squeeze one out of me, I’d most certainly choose not to. Thus, it’s entirely up to the woman if she wants to have a kid or not. If someone doesn’t want to, it would be far better if they don’t. Many people have kids who shouldn’t. Funny that you need a license to drive, but any ding-bat couple can get together and produce another human being who will require ALL of their positive care and love if they have even half of chance of not growing up to be a ding-bat like the people who made him.

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  5. Hariod Brawn says:
    March 7, 2018 at 14:39

    Mak, old bean, Bertrand Russell died almost 50 years ago. 🙂

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    • makagutu says:
      March 7, 2018 at 14:58

      That your country man wrote on so many topics. If in my life I can write just on one topic as well as he did, I will be content.
      ION, I haven’t seen any new offerings on your wonderful site in a long time

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      • Hariod Brawn says:
        March 7, 2018 at 15:46

        Thanks Mak, just in case I wasn’t making myself clear, your opening line says, ‘Bertrand Russell, writing almost a decade ago . . .’ Yes, Russell was a fearless thinker, unafraid to change his mind over time. I’ve been reading a lot of Virginia Woolf recently, with whom he had a friendship as you may know. I’ve taken a break from putting stuff on my own site, though I like to keep contact with good folk such as yourself. John Zande seems to be doing the same, doesn’t he?

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  6. renudepride says:
    March 7, 2018 at 20:29

    Mr. Russell’s assessment of divorce may have been true and accurate in his day but I think divorce is less traumatic and is easier to obtain in the contemporary society. As for women and childbearing, it seems to me that more women are opting for the single motherhood route, which is fine if that is what they want.

    Childbearing is an individual choice that each woman makes on her own without society, family and belief system forcing the role down her throat.

    Naked hugs!

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