What is the use for a man to have at his disposal a large field of action, if within himself he remains confine to the narrow limits of his individuality.
AFRIKAN SPIRThe most sacred duty, the supreme and urgent work, is to deliver humanity from the malediction of Cain – fratricidal war.
More Afrikan Spir Quotes
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The 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.
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We can, following the exemple of Kant, consider the moral development and improvement of men, as the supreme goal of human evolution.
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(“La religion n’et pas une smple théorie, elle est une vie supérieure, dont la moralité fait partie intégrante – une vie vouée au culte du bien et du vrai, car Dieu, l’absolu est la source de toute perfection”, Fr.)
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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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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.
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Thus the moral consciousness is an innate and intimate revelation of the absolute, which goes beyond (or goes pass, or exceed) every empirical data (or given information).
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The refinement of the consciousness and of the heart, are considered incidental (or subordinate) things.
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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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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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Infringing upon (or encroaching) the right of a single person, we overthrow (or turn upside down) the whole order on which rest legal agreements; for if we break (or transgress or violate).
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It is not on the ruin of liberty that we may (in the future… – “pourra”, Fr.) build justice.
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Men spend their life down here in the worship of petty (or mean) interests and the search of perishable things, and with that (“et avec cela”, Fr.) they pretend to perpetuate for all eternity their self (“moi”, Fr.) so hardly worthy (“digne”, Fr.) of it.
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The more his character, by rising above material contingencies, widen, become free and independent.
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The brute appears (or come forward, “apparait”, Fr.) and rule over (or dominate), stifling every (“toute”, Fr.) noble, generous impulse; it is then the ruin (or downfall or decline) of any humanity in man.
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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 undertakings enter unto (“les engagements contractés”, Fr.), nothing assure that we will not break them, possibly (“éventuellement”, Fr.) in another.
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A man, engaged in his simple reflections in everyday life, will comprehend neither the possibility, nor the benefits of self-sacrifice, but, when given (“qu’on lui donne”, Fr.) a great cause to defend, and he will find only natural to sacrifice oneself for it.
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Short-sighted (à courte vue”, Fr.) interests, which, when all is said and done, are also prejudicial (or detrimental, or harmful) to those very same that pursue them?
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The precept to worship God ‘in spirit and in truth’ recommand to worship him as an inward and moral force, without physical attributes and with no relation to fears and egoist wishes.
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Whether we had a (good) moral intuition more developed, we would be as much morally disgusted by the rapacity of those who try to benefit from, and monopolize (or secure or corner).
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The only one thing which is really valuable, it is to do good.
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The realization of justice is, in the actual state of things, a matter of life or death for society and for civilisation itself.
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A swindler (or crook) of higher condition is more blameworthy than a vulgar scoundrel.
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The fact that men have a same origin and live in the same universe means that they are representatives of a same unity.
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Only a moral education based on free inner discipline can bring to bear a salutary action and lead to a true morality.
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Having no consideration (regardless or irrespective of) for others (“autrui”, Fr.), than we physically are by a sickening (or nauseating) smell.
AFRIKAN SPIR