Oppressed Have Superior Virtue
False Assumption: Oppressed groups possess inherent moral superiority due to their subjection.
Written by FARAgent on February 10, 2026
Bertrand Russell observed in 1937 that elites often idealize the oppressed as morally superior. Moralists praised ancient pure men, noble savages, subject nations like Greeks under Turks or Irish under English, the poor, women, and children. This belief emerged when oppressors grew uneasy about their power.
Nations gained independence one by one. Greeks, Hungarians, Italians, Poles, and Irish proved just like everybody else once liberated. Women entered politics without special virtue. The illusion justified denying power to preserve supposed virtue, but the oppressed turned the argument for emancipation.
Power equalization revealed the talk of superior virtue as nonsense, per Russell. Yet Sailer notes modern persistence with proletariat admiration by socialists, now shifted to racial views like Negro earth consciousness or history starting in 1619. Critics see growing evidence the cycle continues without quick disillusionment.
People Involved
- In the early twentieth century, Bertrand Russell took aim at the notion that oppressed groups held superior virtue. He wrote in 1932 that this elite delusion would fade once those groups gained power. Russell likened himself to a prophet warning against the idealization of subject nations, the poor, women, and children. [1]
- Long before him, the ancient philosopher Lao-tse had praised the pure men of old, a way of boosting his own esteem by admiring distant figures. [1]
- Writers like Tacitus and Madame de Stael followed suit, lauding Germans for their lack of an emperor, a pattern of praising groups outside their own. [1]
- John Locke admired the intelligent American untouched by Cartesian ideas, another nod to outsiders. [1]
- Karl Marx played the role of the proletariat's poet, idealizing workers much as Wordsworth had romanticized nature; Russell noted that a Freud for the masses had yet to strip away the illusions. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (5)
“ONE of the persistent delusions of mankind is that some sections of the human race are morally better or worse than others.”— “The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed” by Bertrand Russell
“Lao-tse admired the “pure men of old,” who lived before the advent of Confucian sophistication.”— “The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed” by Bertrand Russell
“Tacitus and Madame de Stael admired the Germans because they had no emperor.”— “The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed” by Bertrand Russell
“Locke thought well of the “intelligent American” because he was not led astray by Cartesian sophistries.”— “The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed” by Bertrand Russell
“Marx was the Wordsworth of the proletariat; its Freud is still to come.”— “The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed” by Bertrand Russell
Organizations Involved
The magazine The Nation printed Russell's critique in 1932, yet it often served as a platform for elite views on the virtues of the oppressed. [1] Such outlets helped sustain the idea among intellectuals, even as they published dissenting voices. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“Here’s a 1937 article Russell wrote for the The Nation.”— “The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed” by Bertrand Russell
The Foundation
The assumption took root in romantic nationalism during the nineteenth century. Writers swapped the noble savage for the patriot of oppressed nations, like Greeks, Hungarians, Italians, and Poles. [1] This seemed credible amid the era's idealism, but critics argue that liberated nations behaved no better than others. [1] In England, the Irish appeared charming and mystical to their rulers until 1921, a sub-belief that let oppressors sentimentalize their subjects to soothe consciences. [1] Independence, however, revealed no special virtue, mounting evidence suggests. [1] During the machine age, socialists idealized the proletariat alongside dams and airplanes. [1] This felt rational at the time, but growing questions surround it, as harsh conditions often produced less amiable people, leading to forced pretenses of virtue. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (3)
“Nationalism introduced, in the nineteenth century, a substitute for the noble savage: the patriot of an oppressed nation. The Greeks until they had achieved liberation from the Turks, the Hungarians until the Ausgleich of 1867, the Italians until 1870, and the Poles until after the 1914-18 war were regarded romantically as gifted poetic races, too idealistic to succeed in this wicked world.”— “The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed” by Bertrand Russell
“The Irish were regarded by the English as possessed of a special charm and mystical insight until 1921, when it was found that the expense of continuing to oppress them would be prohibitive.”— “The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed” by Bertrand Russell
“Admiration of the proletariat, like that of dams, power stations, and airplanes, is part of the ideology of the machine age. Considered in human terms, it has as little in its favor as belief in Celtic magic, the Slav soul, women’s intuition, and children’s innocence.”— “The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed” by Bertrand Russell
How It Spread
From ancient times, writers and moralists spread the belief by praising groups they did not belong to. [1] This continued into the modern era, with English old ladies and American intellectuals sentimentalizing the wisdom of the East or the earth's consciousness among Negroes, despite historical examples to the contrary. [1] Socialist and Communist thinkers propagated the idea by pretending the proletariat was amiable, even though they knew factory life could harden people. [1] The notion traveled through books, essays, and conversations, embedding itself in elite circles. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (3)
“But among writers, especially moralists, a less direct expression of self-esteem is common. They tend to think ill of their neighbors and acquaintances, and therefore to think well of the Sections of mankind to which they themselves do not belong.”— “The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed” by Bertrand Russell
“English old ladies still sentimentalize about the “wisdom of the East” and American intellectuals about the “earth consciousness” of the Negro.”— “The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed” by Bertrand Russell
“many Socialist and Communist intellectuals consider it de rigueur to pretend to find the proletariat more amiable than other people, while professing a desire to abolish the conditions which, according to them, alone produce good human beings.”— “The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed” by Bertrand Russell
Resulting Policies
The idealization of victims shaped decisions on power. It justified keeping women out of politics and wealth from the poor, all to preserve their supposed virtue. [1] Such reasoning delayed reforms, as rulers clung to the notion that subjection bred moral superiority. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“The idealizing of the victim is useful for a time: if virtue is the greatest of goods, and if subjection makes people virtuous, it is kind to refuse them power, since it would destroy their virtue.”— “The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed” by Bertrand Russell
Harm Caused
The belief slowed liberation efforts. It turned the weapons of conscience against oppressors only after delays, as sentimentality masked real change. [1] In modern times, the pretense has weakened cases for economic reconstruction, critics argue, by fostering illusions over practical needs. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (1)
“sooner or later the oppressed class will argue that its superior virtue is a reason in favor of its having power, and the oppressors will find their own weapons turned against them.”— “The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed” by Bertrand Russell
Downfall
Critics point to moments when power shifted and exposed flaws in the assumption. As nations like Italy and Hungary gained independence in the nineteenth century, they acted much like any other, challenging the idea of inherent virtue. [1] Russell predicted this cycle: idealization fades with equality, only to repeat with new groups. [1] Women, too, gained rights and behaved ordinarily, prompting growing questions about the original notion. [1] The pattern remains debated, with mounting evidence from history suggesting the virtue is transient at best. [1]
▶ Supporting Quotes (2)
“When at last power has been equalized, it becomes apparent to everybody that all the talk about superior virtue was nonsense, and that it was quite unnecessary as a basis for the claim to equality.”— “The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed” by Bertrand Russell
“In regard to the Italians, the Hungarians, women, and children, we have ran through the whole cycle.”— “The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed” by Bertrand Russell
Sources
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[1]
“The Superior Virtue of the Oppressed” by Bertrand Russellreputable_journalism