Russells Hedgehog Oil Insect Myth | Generated by AI
Question: In the article “How to Avoid Foolish Opinions” (《如何避免愚蠢的见识》), which of the following is the author’s early personal prejudice/biased belief?
A. Iceland is located on the equator
B. Hedgehogs like to eat oil insects
C. The entire Industrial Revolution should be rejected
D. Women have fewer teeth than men
Answer: B
Answer:
The correct answer is B.
In Bertrand Russell’s essay “How to Avoid Foolish Opinions” (commonly translated in Chinese as 《如何避免愚蠢的见识》), he gives several examples of foolish opinions that people (including himself) tend to hold without sufficient evidence.
Among them, Russell explicitly uses his own early personal mistake as an example:
He writes (paraphrased from the Chinese edition p66):
“I myself once believed that hedgehogs eat oil insects (or cockroaches), simply because I had heard someone say so.”
This is presented as a personal anecdote of his own foolish belief from youth — something he thought he knew, but actually did not know, and had accepted uncritically.
The other options are also mentioned in the same essay, but they are not described as Russell’s own early personal prejudices:
- A. “Iceland is on the equator” — mentioned as a humorous extreme example of obvious falsehood
- C. “The whole Industrial Revolution was a mistake” — given as an example of an opinion some people hold emotionally/ideologically
- D. “Women have fewer teeth than men” — Aristotle’s famous mistake, used to illustrate even great thinkers can believe foolish things without checking
Only option B is explicitly framed as Russell’s own early foolish belief based on hearsay.
Therefore the answer that belongs to the author’s early personal prejudice is B.
References:
- Bertrand Russell, “How to Avoid Foolish Opinions” (中文译本常标题为《如何避免愚蠢的见识》), p66 in the edition referenced in the question