--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To us it seems incredible that the Greek…" description: "\"To us it seems incredible that the Greek philosophers should have scanned so deeply into right and wrong and yet never noticed the immorality of slaver..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/brigid-brophy-25464_animal_to-us-it-seems-incredible-that-the-greek_373157.png" --- # To us it seems incredible that the Greek philosophers… ![“To us it seems incredible that the Greek philosophers should have scanned so deeply into right and wrong and yet never noticed the immorality of slavery. Perhaps 3000 years from now it will seem equally incredible that we do not notice the immorality of our own oppression of animals.” quote by Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/brigid-brophy-25464_animal_to-us-it-seems-incredible-that-the-greek_373157.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/brigid-brophy-25464_animal_to-us-it-seems-incredible-that-the-greek_373157.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b5/brigid-brophy-25464_animal_to-us-it-seems-incredible-that-the-greek_373157.png) > “To us it seems incredible that the Greek philosophers should have scanned so deeply into right and wrong and yet never noticed the immorality of slavery. Perhaps 3000 years from now it will seem equally incredible that we do not notice the immorality of our own oppression of animals.” [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We judge ancient moral failures yet ignore modern ones, like animal exploitation. **In simple terms:** We miss current injustices while condemning past ones. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge present-day oppression. Themes ethics animal rights historical perspective Mood reflective concerned Type philosophical activist When to use this quote - dietary choices - activism - policy advocacy - education - consumer habits Key Concepts moral blindness speciesism Questions to Reflect On - What modern practices do we overlook as immoral? - How can we apply past moral lessons to today? A Different Perspective Some argue animals lack comparable rights to humans. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Equality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equality/) [Greek philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greek-philosopher/) [Greek Philosophers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greek-philosophers/) [Immorality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immorality/) [Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Right and wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-and-wrong/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) ## Related quotes > [To test a perfect theory with imperfect instruments did not impress the Greek philosophers as a valid way to gain knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/to-test-a-perfect-theory-with-imperfect-instruments-did-not-impress/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Indian monks were the first to choose the garden as the proper setting for their lives, which were devoted to the contemplation of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-luise-gothein/indian-monks-were-the-first-to-choose-the-garden-as-the-proper/) [Marie-Luise Gothein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-luise-gothein/) > [In stark contrast with the views of the Greek philosophers and with those of the rest of western intellectuals to the present day, Chinese…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-stark-contrast-with-the-views-of-the-greek-philosophers-and-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You get most out of walking by going along briskly, swinging the arms and breathing deeply. 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He had acquired from Colonel Dent the mulatto slave named William Jones who had worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/the-immorality-of-slavery-became-patently-clear-that-spring-he-had/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“Man's soul has three powers, and God left him prophets for all three: Jewish moralists for his will, Greek philosophers for his mind, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/man-s-soul-has-three-powers-and-god-left-him-prophets-for-all-three/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [“Greek philosophers looked upon the past and the future as the primary evils weighing upon human life, and as the source of all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-ferry/greek-philosophers-looked-upon-the-past-and-the-future-as-the-primary/) Luc Ferry > [“Oh, one of the things that I am most proud of is that people can say, "I am an atheist," in the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madalyn-murray-o-hair/oh-one-of-the-things-that-i-am-most-proud-of-is-that-people-can-say-i/) [Madalyn Murray O'Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madalyn-murray-o-hair/) > [The ancient Greek philosophers were all natural-born dialecticians and Aristotle, the most encyclopaedic intellect among them, had even already analysed the most essential forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-engels/the-ancient-greek-philosophers-were-all-natural-born-dialecticians/) [Friedrich Engels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-engels/) ## More by Brigid Brophy > [“O I'm so afraid that it's true about to travel hopefully being better than to arrive. It might be all in the quest, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/o-i-m-so-afraid-that-it-s-true-about-to-travel-hopefully-being-better/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [“Sentimentalist” is the abuse with which people counter the accusation that they are cruel, thereby implying that to be sentimental is worse than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/sentimentalist-is-the-abuse-with-which-people-counter-the-accusation/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [Whenever people say, 'We mustn't be sentimental,' you can take it they are about to do something cruel. 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I obdurately insist on believing that some men are my equals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/i-refuse-absolutely-to-consign-the-whole-male-sex-to-the-nursery-i/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [By the age of three ... I was already an addicted reader. I still crave daily immersion in experience other than my own; (it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/by-the-age-of-three-i-was-already-an-addicted-reader-i-still-crave/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [The popular distinction between 'constructive' and 'destructive' criticism is a sentimentality: the mind too weak to perceive in what respects the bad fails is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/the-popular-distinction-between-constructive-and-destructive/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [In a sense, the first (if not necessarily the prime) function of a novelist, of ANY artist, is to entertain. If the poem, painting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/in-a-sense-the-first-if-not-necessarily-the-prime-function-of-a/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [The thriller is the cardinal twentieth-century form. All it, like the twentieth century, wants to know is: Who's Guilty?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/the-thriller-is-the-cardinal-twentieth-century-form-all-it-like-the/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [A medical profession founded on callousness to the pain of the other animals may eventually destroy its own sensibility to the pain of humans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/a-medical-profession-founded-on-callousness-to-the-pain-of-the-other/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [I refuse to consign the whole male sex to the nursery. I insist on believing that some men are my equals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/i-refuse-to-consign-the-whole-male-sex-to-the-nursery-i-insist-on/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [The bullfighter who torments a bull to death and then castrates it of an ear has neither proved nor increased his own virility; he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/the-bullfighter-who-torments-a-bull-to-death-and-then-castrates-it-of/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [I don't myself believe that, even when we fulfill our minimum obligations not to cause pain, we have the right to kill animals. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/i-don-t-myself-believe-that-even-when-we-fulfill-our-minimum/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [To argue that we humans are capable of complex multifarious thought and feeling, whereas the sheep's perception is probably limited by lowly sheepish perceptions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/to-argue-that-we-humans-are-capable-of-complex-multifarious-thought/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) [Explore all 23 Brigid Brophy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. 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He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? 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It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To us it seems incredible that the Greek philosophers should have scanned so deeply into right and wrong and yet never noticed the immorality of slavery. 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