“Regarding History as the slaughter-bench at which the happiness of peoples, the wisdom of States, and the virtue of individuals have been victimized--the question involuntarily arises--to what principle, to what final aim these enormous sacrifices have been offered.” Has BeensStatesIndividualPrinciplesHistoryVirtueSacrificeAimFinalsEnormousAriseSlaughterBenches Book:The Philosophy of History Source: The Philosophy of History
“Life, from beginning to end, is fear. Yes, it is pain, yes, it is desire, but more than anything it is fear; a certain amount rational, an enormous amount irrational. All political cruelties stem from that overwhelming fear. To push back the threatening forces, to offer primitive sacrifices, to give up some in the hope that others will be savedthat is the power struggle. That is the outsidedness of the poor, the feeble, the infantile. That is the outsidedness of Jews. That is the outsidedness of blacks. That is the outsidedness of women.” GivingEndsPainPoliticalDesireCertainPoliticsForceFearPoorStruggleSacrificeAmountOffersGiving UpJewEnormousDiscriminationRationalCrueltyOverwhelmingPrimitiveIrrationalStemThreateningInfantilePower Struggle Author:Vivian Gornick
“Even time is a concept. In reality we are always in the eternal present. The past is just a memory, the future just an image or thought. All our stories about past and future are only ideas, arising in the moment. Our modern culture is so tyrannized by goals, plans, and improvement schemes that we constantly live for the future. But as Aldous Huxley reminded us in his writings, "An idolatrous religion is one in which time is substituted for eternity...the idea of endless progress is the devil's work, even today demanding human sacrifice on an enormous scale.” WritingHumansIdeasMomentsStoriesRealityTodayPastCultureGoalMemoriesProgressPlansSacrificeModernEternalDevilConceptsEternityImprovementScalesEndlessEnormousSchemesHuxleyModern CultureLive Futures Author:Jack Kornfield
“I have enormous respect for anyone who would offer to sacrifice their life to defend my right to live. Is there any greater gift one can give another?” GivingGreaterSacrificeOffersEnormous Author:Michael Moore
“I think enormous harm is done by religion - not just in the name of religion, but actually by religion. ... Many people do simply awful things out of sincere religious belief, not using religion as a cover the way that Saddam Hussein may have done, but really because they believe that this is what God wants them to do, going all the way back to Abraham being willing to sacrifice Isaac because God told him to do that. Putting God ahead of humanity is a terrible thing.” PeopleThinkingWayWantBelieveMayDoneReligionHumanityNamesBeliefReligiousSacrificeAtheismWillingTerribleHarmEnormousAwfulSincereSaddamHusseinTerrible ThingsAbrahamReligious BeliefIsaac Author:Steven Weinberg