the easy acceptance of atrocities as a deplorable but…
““the easy acceptance of atrocities as a deplorable but necessary price to pay for progress (Hiroshima and Vietnam, to save Western civilization; Kronstadt and Hungary, to save socialism; nuclear proliferation, to save us all)—that is still with us. One reason these atrocities are still with us is that we have learned to bury them in a mass of other facts, as radioactive wastes are buried in containers in the earth. We have learned to give them exactly the same proportion of attention that teachers and writers often give them in the most respectable of classrooms and textbooks. This learned sense of moral proportion, coming from the apparent objectivity of the scholar, is accepted more easily than when it comes from politicians at press conferences. It is therefore more deadly.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
It contends that societies rationalize atrocities as necessary for progress, burying them among other facts, which makes them harder to confront.
In simple terms: People hide terrible acts as a normal part of history.
Key Takeaway
Question moral narratives that justify violence.
Themes
ethics
politics
history
memory
Mood
critical
concerned
Type
political
philosophical
When to use this quote
- War justification
- policy debates
- education curricula
- media coverage
- public memorials
Key Concepts
Moral relativism
historical amnesia
Questions to Reflect On
- What mechanisms allow societies to normalize violence?
- How can we better confront buried atrocities?
A Different Perspective
The argument may oversimplify complex motivations behind historical events.