"To Dr. Faustus in his study Mephistopheles told the history of the Creation, saying: 'The endless praises of the choirs of angels had begun to grow wearisome; for, after all, did he not deserve their praise? Had he not given them endless joy? Would it not be more amusing to obtain undeserved praise, to be worshipped by beings whom he tortured? He smiled inwardly, and resolved that the great drama should be performed.'"
By Bertrand Russell (1903)
This essay, one of Russell's most famous and poetic works, explores how humans can find meaning and purpose in a universe indifferent to our existence. Written in 1903, it remains a powerful meditation on atheistic humanism and the worship of ideals rather than gods.
The Human Condition
Russell begins with a stark vision: we are the product of blind evolutionary forces, our existence brief and ultimately meaningless in cosmic terms. The universe does not care about human values, aspirations, or suffering. We are alone.
Yet from this bleak starting point, Russell constructs a philosophy of defiant dignity. Precisely because the universe is indifferent, we are free to create our own meaning. We can worship not gods who demand obedience, but ideals we choose for ourselves—truth, beauty, love, knowledge.
The Worship of Force
Russell warns against the worship of power and success, which he sees as a capitulation to the universe's indifference. To worship force is to accept that might makes right, that the strong deserve their dominance and the weak their suffering. This is the philosophy of Mephistopheles—the belief that because the universe is cruel, we should be cruel too.
Instead, Russell advocates for what he calls "the free man's worship"—a commitment to human values precisely because they are not validated by the universe. We choose compassion not because God commands it, but because we value it. We pursue knowledge not because it will save us, but because understanding is intrinsically worthwhile.
The Firm Foundation
"Brief and powerless is Man's life; on him and all his race the slow, sure doom falls pitiless and dark. Blind to good and evil, reckless of destruction, omnipotent matter rolls on its relentless way; for Man, condemned today to lose his dearest, tomorrow himself to pass through the gate of darkness, it remains only to cherish, ere yet the blow falls, the lofty thoughts that ennoble his little day."
This is Russell's answer to nihilism: not denial of our cosmic insignificance, but acceptance of it coupled with a determination to live well anyway. The foundation of the free man's worship is the recognition that all human achievement is temporary, all civilizations will fall, all art will be forgotten—and yet these things are worth doing.
Relevance Today
More than a century after its publication, "A Free Man's Worship" remains relevant. In an age of religious decline and existential anxiety, Russell offers a framework for meaning-making that doesn't depend on supernatural beliefs. His philosophy is neither optimistic nor pessimistic but realistic—acknowledging the harsh truths of existence while insisting that humans can still create beauty, pursue knowledge, and treat each other with compassion.
The essay is also a masterpiece of prose style, combining philosophical argument with poetic language in a way rarely seen in modern philosophy. Russell writes with passion and conviction, making abstract ideas emotionally resonant.
Read the full text: Project Gutenberg | Bertrand Russell Society