Air Quote by Edwin Percy Whipple
“In most old communities there is a common sense even in sensuality. Vice itself gets gradually digested into a system, is amenable to certain laws of conventional propriety and honor, has for its object simply the gratification of its appetites, and frowns with quite a conservative air on all new inventions, all untried experiments in iniquity.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Moral Reflections, 1840
Society gradually normalizes vice, wrapping it in propriety while resisting new ideas.
In simple terms: Society accepts vice over it seems normal.
Key Takeaway
Question accepted norms.
Themes
morality
conformity
tradition
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
philosophical
analytical
When to use this quote
- legal reforms
- cultural shifts
- public debates
Key Concepts
social conditioning
ethical relativism
Questions to Reflect On
- What traditions hide harmful practices?
- How can new ideas be introduced respectfully?
A Different Perspective
Change can be slow and met with resistance.
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