--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our Nation, a great stage for the acting…" description: "\"Our Nation, a great stage for the acting out of great thoughts, presents the classic confrontation between Locke's views of the state of nature and Rou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/allan-bloom-4105_abortion_our-nation-a-great-stage-for-the-acting_1723701.png" --- # Our Nation, a great stage for the acting out of great… ![“Our Nation, a great stage for the acting out of great thoughts, presents the classic confrontation between Locke's views of the state of nature and Rousseau's criticism of them... Nature is raw material, worthless without the mixture of human labor; yet nature is also the highest and most sacred…” quote by Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/allan-bloom-4105_abortion_our-nation-a-great-stage-for-the-acting_1723701.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/allan-bloom-4105_abortion_our-nation-a-great-stage-for-the-acting_1723701.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/allan-bloom-4105_abortion_our-nation-a-great-stage-for-the-acting_1723701.png) > “Our Nation, a great stage for the acting out of great thoughts, presents the classic confrontation between Locke's views of the state of nature and Rousseau's criticism of them... Nature is raw material, worthless without the mixture of human labor; yet nature is also the highest and most sacred thing. The same people who struggle to save the snail-darter bless the pill, worry about hunting deer and defend abortion. Reverence for nature, mastery of nature- whichever is convenient.” [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) ## 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 contrasts philosophical views on nature, highlighting how humanity both venerates and exploits it, revealing contradictions in environmental attitudes. **In simple terms:** People both respect and use nature, often inconsistently. Key Takeaway Recognize and align actions with true respect for nature. Themes environment philosophy contradiction ethics humanity Mood reflective critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - policy debates - conservation activism - urban planning - agricultural development - public health advocacy Key Concepts Locke Rousseau nature labor sacredness Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile personal convenience with environmental stewardship? - What policies could bridge reverence and practical use of nature? A Different Perspective Human actions often prioritize convenience over genuine reverence, limiting impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abortion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion/) [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Confrontation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confrontation/) [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Deer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deer/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Hunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunting/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Mastery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mastery/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reverence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverence/) [Sacred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacred/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) ## Related quotes > [Simply follow nature, Rousseau declares. Sade, laughing grimly, agrees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/simply-follow-nature-rousseau-declares-sade-laughing-grimly-agrees/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [“That this is a practice contrary to the rules of criticism will be readily allowed; but there is always an appeal open from criticism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/that-this-is-a-practice-contrary-to-the-rules-of-criticism-will-be/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Poetry, song, stories, art, our reverence for nature, are key to our survival as a species, and to the survival of all species, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/poetry-song-stories-art-our-reverence-for-nature-are-key-to-our/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“Modern life seems to recede further and further away from nature, and closely connected with this fact we seem to be losing the feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/modern-life-seems-to-recede-further-and-further-away-from-nature-and/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) > [“I go out on the side of a hill, maybe hunting deer, and sit there and see the shadow of night coming over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/i-go-out-on-the-side-of-a-hill-maybe-hunting-deer-and-sit-there-and/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [When you have a high-volume magazine or an assault weapon, you're not hunting deer or protecting your home; you're out to hunt people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/when-you-have-a-high-volume-magazine-or-an-assault-weapon-you-re-not/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [“Philosophy without criticism is like hunting deer without a shotgun, so, if you want people to like you, avoid robust philosophical debate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/philosophy-without-criticism-is-like-hunting-deer-without-a-shotgun/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [You can learn more about hunting deer with a bow and arrow in a week than a gun hunter will learn in his entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-bear/you-can-learn-more-about-hunting-deer-with-a-bow-and-arrow-in-a-week/) [Fred Bear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-bear/) > [You don't go hunting for a deer and shoot 50 rounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-menendez/you-don-t-go-hunting-for-a-deer-and-shoot-50-rounds/) [Bob Menendez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-menendez/) > [If you need more than 10 rounds to hunt, and some argue they hunt with that many rounds, you shouldn't be hunting. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/if-you-need-more-than-10-rounds-to-hunt-and-some-argue-they-hunt-with/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) ## More by Allan Bloom > [There is one thing a professor can be absolutely certain of: almost every student entering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/there-is-one-thing-a-professor-can-be-absolutely-certain-of-almost/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [Authentic values are those by which a life can be lived, which can form a people that produces great deeds and thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/authentic-values-are-those-by-which-a-life-can-be-lived-which-can/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [Shakespeare's naturalness is attested to by the strange fact that he is the only classical author who remains popular. The critical termites are massed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/shakespeare-s-naturalness-is-attested-to-by-the-strange-fact-that-he/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [The utilitarian behaves sensibly in all that is required for preservation but never takes account of the fact that he must die...His whole life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/the-utilitarian-behaves-sensibly-in-all-that-is-required-for/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [The longing for Europe has been all but extinguished in the young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/the-longing-for-europe-has-been-all-but-extinguished-in-the-young/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [Students now arrive at the university ignorant and cynical about our political heritage, lacking the wherewithal to be either inspired by it or seriously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/students-now-arrive-at-the-university-ignorant-and-cynical-about-our/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [Human nature must not be altered in order to have a problem-free world. Man is not just a problem-solving being, as behaviorists would wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/human-nature-must-not-be-altered-in-order-to-have-a-problem-free/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [Never did I think that the university was properly ministerial to the society around it. Rather I thought and think that society is ministerial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/never-did-i-think-that-the-university-was-properly-ministerial-to-the/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [Reason cannot establish values, and its belief that it can is the stupidiest and most pernicious illusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/reason-cannot-establish-values-and-its-belief-that-it-can-is-the/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [Fathers and mothers have lost the idea that the highest aspiration they might have for their children is for them to be wise... specialized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/fathers-and-mothers-have-lost-the-idea-that-the-highest-aspiration/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [As Western nations became more prosperous, leisure, which had been put off for several centuries in favor of the pursuit of property, the means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/as-western-nations-became-more-prosperous-leisure-which-had-been-put/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [Historicism and cultural relativism actually are a means to avoid testing our own prejudices and asking, for example, whether men are really equal or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/historicism-and-cultural-relativism-actually-are-a-means-to-avoid/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [“Man requires a healing education which returns him to himself. Rousseau's paradoxes- his attack on the arts and the sciences and his practice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/man-requires-a-healing-education-which-returns-him-to-himself/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [The failure to read good books both enfeebles the vision and strengthens our most fatal tendency - the belief that the here and now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/the-failure-to-read-good-books-both-enfeebles-the-vision-and/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [Life, liberty, and the pursuit of property were just what Aristotle did not talk about. They are the conditions of happiness; but the essence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/life-liberty-and-the-pursuit-of-property-were-just-what-aristotle-did/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) [Explore all 116 Allan Bloom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) ## More Abortion quotes > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974 > [Hey everyone, in case y'all didn't hear, I'm pregnat, and after discussing it w/ my family, I've decided to get an abortion, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-badesheim/hey-everyone-in-case-y-all-didn-t-hear-i-m-pregnat-and-after/) Madison Badesheim > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [My favorite Founding Fathers, Christians like John Adams, were absolutely appalled by slavery, and did not own slaves. I think we're going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/my-favorite-founding-fathers-christians-like-john-adams-were/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [“David Bereit, Founder of Forty Days for Life, points out that any abortion clinic in America should have a sign in its window that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-price/david-bereit-founder-of-forty-days-for-life-points-out-that-any/) [John Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-price/) > [The Chinese describe themselves as political refugees. Many base that claim on China's strict population laws, which allow them to have only one child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-chinese-describe-themselves-as-political-refugees-many-base-that/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [I'm a pro-life candidate because I believe that science is proving us right every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/i-m-a-pro-life-candidate-because-i-believe-that-science-is-proving-us/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion…has been born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-noticed-that-everyone-who-is-for-abortion-has-been-born/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [We talk a lot about how abortion is a medical procedure, but actually if you look at what the other side is doing, they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-northup/we-talk-a-lot-about-how-abortion-is-a-medical-procedure-but-actually/) [Nancy Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-northup/) > [“The Vatican won't prosecute pedophile priests but I decide I'm not ready for motherhood and it's condemnation for me? These are the same people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-renee-taylor/the-vatican-won-t-prosecute-pedophile-priests-but-i-decide-i-m-not/) Sonya Renee Taylor > [Pro-lifers have long been castigated for bringing private values into the public square. But actually it is the pro-abortion position that is based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/pro-lifers-have-long-been-castigated-for-bringing-private-values-into/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [I am 100 percent pro-life and have been my whole life. That means I am opposed to abortion at any stage of pregnancy, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hawley/i-am-100-percent-pro-life-and-have-been-my-whole-life-that-means-i-am/) [Josh Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hawley/) > [Any woman should have the right to a safe and legal abortion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-ford/any-woman-should-have-the-right-to-a-safe-and-legal-abortion/) [Betty Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-ford/) > [“For Republicans, life begins at conception but ends at birth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-adam-snyder/for-republicans-life-begins-at-conception-but-ends-at-birth/) [J.Adam Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-adam-snyder/) > [I think fundamentally, the real power behind the anti-choice movement in regard to abortion and the opposition to the rights of LGBT Americans is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-w-lynn/i-think-fundamentally-the-real-power-behind-the-anti-choice-movement/) [Barry W. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-w-lynn/) [Browse all 1,629 Abortion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abortion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our Nation, a great stage for the acting out of great thoughts, presents the classic confrontation between Locke's views of the state of nature and Rousseau's criticism of them... Nature is raw material, worthless without the mixture of human labor; yet nature is also the highest and most sacred thing. The same people who struggle to save the snail-darter bless the pill, worry about hunting deer and defend abortion. 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