A Conversation with Bertrand Russell (1952)
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN users share it as a chance to hear Russell speak himself and get a sense of his values and outlook.
What it is
A 1952 filmed interview in which Romney Wheeler talks with philosopher Bertrand Russell at his home in Surrey. Russell discusses his outlook and reflects on how the world changed over the first half of the century.
Recommended by 2 HN commenters across 2 different months, 2021 to 2026.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec thomassmith65 · 2025-09 · on “Bertrand Russell to Oswald Mosley (1962)”
Bertrand Russel also was - and hopefully still is - a public intellectual, like Einstein or Chomsky (for better or worse), whose opinions on many areas of life reached ordinary people. His values were ahead of his time. This is a wonderful interview with him that gives a great sense of what he was all about: • A Conversation with Bertrand Russell (1952) [this video]
Recommends Archelaos · 2021-10 · on “Bertrand Russell Is Dead; British Philosopher, 97 (1970)”
For those, who are interested to hear Betrand Russel himself speaking. Interview from 1961: [LINK] ... or even watching him. Interview from 1952: [this video] Interview from 1959: [LINK]
Cites AndrewKemendo · 2026-08 · on “The weekend is 100 years old”
The lack of understanding about the change in day-to-day life over the last 200 years in truly unfathomable - I fully do not understand it but a little that I appreciate — it’s just profound It’s like we’re living on an entirely different planet than the people who existed prior to the industrial revolution Bertrand Russell’s grandfather was alive during napoleon’s rule and he speaks about the difference between 1950 and 1900: [this video]