| Bertrand Russell's Teapot | |
|---|---|
| |
|
Origin |
Bertrand Russell |
|
Type |
Teapot |
|
Effects |
Causes delusions of a higher being or god speaking to people |
|
Downsides |
Specifics vary from person to person |
|
Activation |
Boiling a liquid and drinking it |
|
Collected by |
Warehouse 13 |
|
Section |
|
|
Aisle |
83095-8125 |
|
Shelf |
43369-5911-226 |
|
Date of Collection |
June 31, 1994 |
| [Source] | |
Origins[]
Bertrand Russell was a strong atheist who tried to convince people’s belief in religion was silly. It was infused with his annoyance towards religious fanatics. His teapot came from one of his argments against the worship of religion:
- "Many orthodox people speak as though it were the business of sceptics to disprove received dogmas rather than of dogmatists to prove them. This is, of course, a mistake. If I were to suggest that between the Earth and Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is too small to be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it, I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense."
Effects[]
It can boil any liquid in it, causing the liquid to carry an energy-toxin that can infect any water or liquid it touches. This causes extremely vivid delusions of voices and visions of god, angels, and heaven. It does not affect strong atheists or disbelievers.
Hearing godlike and angelic voices can affect people very differently. Some forge a new fire to benefit their lives and become motivated to do good in the world. Others claim to be saviors or messiahs, while several can turn very insane. A few even turn fully cynical, questioning the voices swirling in their head about the disparity between their supposed almighty powers and the user's abundance of misery.