When virtue is pictured as innocence and innocence equated…
“When virtue is pictured as innocence and innocence equated with childlikeness, the implication is obviously that knowledge and experience are no longer media of goodness, but have become in themselves contaminating. This is a very despairing outlook, in its way as black as Augustine's original sin, for it supposes that original goodness will in all likelihood be defiled...It surrenders the attempt to represent virtue in a mature phase.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The quote suggests that equating virtue with childlike innocence implies that knowledge and experience corrupt goodness, leading to a bleak view that true virtue cannot mature.
In simple terms: Innocence linked to virtue makes experience seem corrupt.
Key Takeaway
Beware of idealizing innocence as the only path to virtue.
Themes
virtue
innocence
knowledge
experience
corruption
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
analytical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- education
- parenting
- personal development
- spiritual practice
Key Concepts
philosophy
psychology
theology
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we integrate experience without losing virtue?
- Is innocence truly pure?
A Different Perspective
Idealizing innocence may ignore the value of mature insight.