As you know, a similar process occurred with Sartre in his old age. He was manipulated, according to Simone de Beauvoir and other old friends, by Benny Levy, his secretary into almost converting to Judaism. I guess very brillant people, like Russell and Sartre, are unable to admit that they have undergone processes of mental deterioration in their old age and thus, prey to those who want to use them. As we get older, most of us not only decline mentally, but we become very dependent on those few people who seem to care for and about us. I could see that happening with my mother who, while not technically senile, lost her mental spark and flexibility while refusing that that had occurred. Magee's judgement is also questionable: why would the CIA pay someone for years just to discredit Russell? I recall one Chilean woman who accused me of being a CIA agent, something that used to occur to gringos in Chile frequently and I opened my mouth and pulled out my obviously low budget dental bridge, complaining that the agency dental plan was not only what it used to be.
As you know, a similar process occurred with Sartre in his old age. He was manipulated, according to Simone de Beauvoir and other old friends, by Benny Levy, his secretary into almost converting to Judaism. I guess very brillant people, like Russell and Sartre, are unable to admit that they have undergone processes of mental deterioration in their old age and thus, prey to those who want to use them. As we get older, most of us not only decline mentally, but we become very dependent on those few people who seem to care for and about us. I could see that happening with my mother who, while not technically senile, lost her mental spark and flexibility while refusing that that had occurred. Magee's judgement is also questionable: why would the CIA pay someone for years just to discredit Russell? I recall one Chilean woman who accused me of being a CIA agent, something that used to occur to gringos in Chile frequently and I opened my mouth and pulled out my obviously low budget dental bridge, complaining that the agency dental plan was not only what it used to be.