Apart from selfish reasons, such as fear of punishments, fear of blame, of dishonour, etc, there remains only two motives that can stop (or prevent, “empâecher”, Fr.) men from acting badly.
AFRIKAN SPIRThe intellectual development of man, far from having get men away from war, has, rather, on the contrary, bring them to a refinment always more perfected in the art of killing.
More Afrikan Spir Quotes
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The principle of identity, which is the fundamental law of the thought; norms of logic springs from it, that govern the thought (or mind) in the field of science.”
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The only one thing which is really valuable, it is to do good.
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It is only on these principles that we will be able to establish (“pourront être édifiées”, Fr.) the real basis of morality.
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It must be all the same to the citizens (“ressortissants”, Fr.) of a country that their governing (those in power) speak such language or such other (“telle langue ou telle autre”, Fr.).
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True morality, true philosophy and true art are in their essence (“dans leur essence”, Fr.) religious.”
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Experience shows that what great role pratice and experience play in education; pratice, the prolonged exercice lead to habit: exemple suggests imitation.
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The distinction between right and wrong (“la distinction du bien et du mal”, Fr.), is nothing else than their unyielding (or implacable) opposition.
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If the present civilisation does not acquire some stable moral fondations (“bases morales stables”, Fr.), its existence will hardly be more assured than that of the civilisations that have preceeded it, and which have fallen (or collapse, or failed).
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The basic notion of justice, is that the rights of everybody are equals, in principle. In the rights of others, we have to respect our own rights. It is only in that condition that we can reasonnably require that it be respected by others.
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Arbitrariness and true liberty are as distinct from each other that the empirical nature is distinct from the higher nature of man.
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Habit can become a second nature, but, wrongly directed (or guided), it may also heighten (or intensify) unfortunate tendencies and be an obstacle to progress.
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Outward, thanks to the knowledge of physical laws, man could subdue (or subjugate…) nature, but inwardly, he remained a slave to it.
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A good man (“un homme de bien”, Fr.) never wholly perishes, the best part of his being outlives (or survives) in eternity.
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They even came to raise the methods of slaughter to the rank of “science”… We would not (On ne saurait”, Fr.) imagine a more extraordinary moral blindness!
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Men who have sacrifice their well-being, and even their lives, for the cause of truth or the public good, are, from an empirical point of view – which scorn (“fait fi”, Fr.) virtue and altruism – regarded as insane or fools; but, from a moral standpoint, they are heros who do honour (“qui honorent”, Fr.) humanity.
AFRIKAN SPIR






