BR TO GILBERT MURRAY, 30 NOV. 1933
BRACERS 52385. TLS. Murray papers, Bodleian
Edited by W. Bruneau. Proofread by A.G. Bone

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Deudraeth Castle Hotel
Portmeirion Peninsula
Penrhyndeudraeth, North Wales
November 30 1933

Dear Gilbert,

Thank you for your letter of November 24. I find it difficult to make up my mind on your suggestion and I should like to put one or two questions to you.

I could not, in any case, do the book at once, as I am busy on another book, which I hope to finish in May. If I undertake it, I could probably finish the writing of it by Christmas 1934. Would that be soon enough?

I have already written on the subject of Science and Religion in my book called The Scientific Outlook, several chapters of which deal with this topic in one form or another. I do not know how far you would consider this an objection. Of course, it slightly increases the difficulty for me of doing the book satisfactorily.

If I do it, I think it would be best to treat the subject historically, beginning with Copernicus. Could you get an undertaking from the publishers that they would not object to the mention of facts which Roman Catholics wish to keep dark? If not, it would not be worth while to undertake the book.

In pre-scientific days, theology was a deductive edifice just as intellectual as science is now. But science caused men to believe that an intellectual edifice should be inductive, with the result that religion has ceased to be intellectual and has become an appeal to the heart. This was the doing of the 19th century; the great discovery of the 20th century is that the appeal to the heart succeeds best when made by the police, as in Italy and Germany.

You do not say anything about terms, which I should be glad to know about before reaching a decision. I suppose the number of words you would want would be about 45,000?

Yours ever,
Bertrand Russell.