Men Quote by Edmund Spenser
“For that which all men then did virtue call, Is now called vice; and that which vice was hight, Is now hight virtue, and so used of all: Right now is wrong, and wrong that was is right”
About This Quote
Source Poem: The Faerie Queene, Book I, 1590
Moral standards shift over time; what was once praised can become condemned and vice versa, showing the fluidity of virtue and vice.
In simple terms: Ideas of right and wrong change with society.
Key Takeaway
Recognize that moral judgments are often historically contingent.
Themes
ethics
history
relativism
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- legal reforms
- educational curricula
- public discourse
- media analysis
Key Concepts
moral relativism
cultural change
philosophical debate
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we evaluate past actions by today’s standards?
- What frameworks help us understand moral change?
A Different Perspective
Historical context can be ignored, leading to oversimplified judgments.
![“That country [Carthage] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws; and every step of intestine discord was marked by some deplorable victory of savage man over civilized society.” quote by Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/70c/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinkin_393.jpg)