辽宁大学博士研究生教材.pptVIP

辽宁大学博士研究生教材 辽宁大学公共基础学院 Chapter I  How To Grow Old Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) was a British philosopher and logician. He was one of the outstanding figures of 20th Century British philosophy, especially important for his work in mathematical logic. He published a vast number of books on logic, theory of knowledge, and many other topics. A Humorous Introduction to His Family History In spite of the title, this article will really be on how not to grow old, which, at my time of life, is a much more important subject. My first advice would be to choose your ancestors carefully. Although both my parents died young, I have done well in this respect as regards my other ancestors. A Humorous Introduction to His Family History My maternal grandfather, it is true, was cut off in the flower of his youth at the age of sixty-seven, but my other three grandparents all lived to be over eighty. Of remoter ancestors I can only discover one who did not live to a great age, and he died of a disease which is now rare, namely, having his head cut off. A Great Grandmother A great grandmother of mine lived to the age of ninety-two, and to her last day remained a terror to all her descendants. My maternal grandmother, after having nine children who survived, one who died in infancy, and many miscarriages, as soon as she became a widow, devoted herself to woman’s higher education. A Great Grandmother She was one of the founders of Girton College, and worked hard at opening the medical profession to women. She used to relate how she met in Italy an elderly gentleman who was looking very sad. She inquired the cause of his melancholy and he said that he had just parted from his two grandchildren. A Great Grandmother “Good gracious”, she exclaimed, “I have seventy-two grandchildren, and if I were sad each time I parted from one of them, I should have a dismal existence!” “Madre snaturale,” he replied. But sp