--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are passing through an eerie phase of…" description: "\"“We are passing through an eerie phase of history in which the things that everyone really knows are treated as unheard-of doctrines, a time in which t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/j-budziszewski-2-45573_common-decency_we-are-passing-through-an-eerie-phase-of_158759.jpg" --- # We are passing through an eerie phase of history in which… ![“We are passing through an eerie phase of history in which the things that everyone really knows are treated as unheard-of doctrines, a time in which the elements of common decency are themselves attacked as indecent. Nothing quite like this has ever happened before. Although our civilization has…” quote by J Budziszewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/j-budziszewski-2-45573_common-decency_we-are-passing-through-an-eerie-phase-of_158759.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/j-budziszewski-2-45573_common-decency_we-are-passing-through-an-eerie-phase-of_158759.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/j-budziszewski-2-45573_common-decency_we-are-passing-through-an-eerie-phase-of_158759.jpg) > ““We are passing through an eerie phase of history in which the things that everyone really knows are treated as unheard-of doctrines, a time in which the elements of common decency are themselves attacked as indecent. Nothing quite like this has ever happened before. Although our civilization has passed through quite a few troughs of immorality, never before has vice held the high moral ground.”” [J Budziszewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-budziszewski-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society is experiencing a moral reversal where widely accepted decency is dismissed, and immoral behavior is paradoxically praised. **In simple terms:** Common decency is being attacked and vice is praised. Key Takeaway Question accepted norms and resist moral decay. Themes morality culture ethics Mood concerned critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political discourse - media analysis - education reform - public policy debates Key Concepts social critique moral relativism Questions to Reflect On - How can we protect shared values? - What drives the reversal of moral standards? A Different Perspective Complex issues may oversimplify nuanced ethical debates. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common decency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-decency/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Immorality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immorality/) [Vice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vice/) ## Related quotes > [This point seems counter-intuitive, given the amount of conspicuous vulgarity, vice, and immorality in America. Indeed some Islamic fundamentalists argue that their regimes are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/this-point-seems-counter-intuitive-given-the-amount-of-conspicuous/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [ Common decency demands that \[NCAA athletes\] should be paid, but the only way it will happen is the same way workers got paid throughout… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/common-decency-demands-that-ncaa-athletes-should-be-paid-but-the-only/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [I wish that people who are conventionally supposed to love each other would say to each other, when they fight, "Please - a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-wish-that-people-who-are-conventionally-supposed-to-love-each-other/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Listen, we’re going to have to learn to get along if we’re going to be spending the next three months together. So how about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-monroe/listen-we-re-going-to-have-to-learn-to-get-along-if-we-re-going-to-be/) [Sophie Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-monroe/) > [“We would do well, as Orwell counselled, to see the traces of the dystopian around us, to find the ends of those threads and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darran-anderson/we-would-do-well-as-orwell-counselled-to-see-the-traces-of-the/) Darran Anderson > [School days, I believe, are the unhappiest in the whole span of human existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/school-days-i-believe-are-the-unhappiest-in-the-whole-span-of-human/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“You might not get the apology you deserve. You might not get answers to explain the actions of others. You might not get truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/you-might-not-get-the-apology-you-deserve-you-might-not-get-answers/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“Against such a background one can easily imagine the shock that must have gripped readers of The Times of London, who turned to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/against-such-a-background-one-can-easily-imagine-the-shock-that-must/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I believe that poverty is often the result of inappropriate behavior - out-of-wedlock births, dropping out of school, crime and drugs - which should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-klein/i-believe-that-poverty-is-often-the-result-of-inappropriate-behavior/) [Joe Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-klein/) > [“I have had some experiences with love, or think I have, anyway, although the ones I have liked best could easily be described as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-have-had-some-experiences-with-love-or-think-i-have-anyway-although/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“ONE OF the most irrational of all the conventions of modern society is the one to the effect that religious opinions should be respected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/one-of-the-most-irrational-of-all-the-conventions-of-modern-society/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [“Again, we may decry the color-prejudice of the South, yet it remains a heavy fact. Such curious kinks of the human mind exist and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois-2/again-we-may-decry-the-color-prejudice-of-the-south-yet-it-remains-a/) [W.E.B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois-2/) > [This is why I say that the individual's most potent weapon is a stubborn belief in the triumph of common decency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rusesabagina/this-is-why-i-say-that-the-individual-s-most-potent-weapon-is-a/) [Paul Rusesabagina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rusesabagina/) > [Please — a little less love, and a little more common decency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/please-a-little-less-love-and-a-little-more-common-decency/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Of government, at least in democratic states, it may be said briefly that it is an agency engaged wholesale, and as a matter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/of-government-at-least-in-democratic-states-it-may-be-said-briefly/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) ## More by J Budziszewski > [“Only good was created. Every evil thing is a good thing ruined. There are no other ways to get an evil thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-budziszewski-2/only-good-was-created-every-evil-thing-is-a-good-thing-ruined-there/) [J Budziszewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-budziszewski-2/) > [“Friedrich Nietzsche, originator of the slogan “God is dead”, reported that at times he was overcome by gratitude. This admission is most interesting, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-budziszewski-2/friedrich-nietzsche-originator-of-the-slogan-god-is-dead-reported/) [J Budziszewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-budziszewski-2/) > [“plurality without Design is merely chaos.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-budziszewski-2/plurality-without-design-is-merely-chaos/) [J Budziszewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-budziszewski-2/) > [“I mention this only because it seems to be a real obstacle for contemporary people. We don’t want the freedom of the creature but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-budziszewski-2/i-mention-this-only-because-it-seems-to-be-a-real-obstacle-for/) [J Budziszewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-budziszewski-2/) > [“from a Second Vatican Council document: “The truth is that only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-budziszewski-2/from-a-second-vatican-council-document-the-truth-is-that-only-in-the/) [J Budziszewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-budziszewski-2/) > [“How do we know that we exist? No one knows. Not so, you say. I think, therefore I exist. But how do you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-budziszewski-2/how-do-we-know-that-we-exist-no-one-knows-not-so-you-say-i-think/) [J Budziszewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-budziszewski-2/) > [“Why is there something, rather than nothing?” is a question that anyone can ask.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-budziszewski-2/why-is-there-something-rather-than-nothing-is-a-question-that-anyone/) [J Budziszewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-budziszewski-2/) > [“C. S. Lewis once wrote that man has two clues to the meaning of the universe. One is the knowledge of a law that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-budziszewski-2/c-s-lewis-once-wrote-that-man-has-two-clues-to-the-meaning-of-the/) [J Budziszewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-budziszewski-2/) [Explore all 9 J Budziszewski quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-budziszewski-2/) ## More Common decency quotes > [ Common decency demands that \[NCAA athletes\] should be paid, but the only way it will happen is the same way workers got paid throughout… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/common-decency-demands-that-ncaa-athletes-should-be-paid-but-the-only/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [Please — a little less love, and a little more common decency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/please-a-little-less-love-and-a-little-more-common-decency/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [This is why I say that the individual's most potent weapon is a stubborn belief in the triumph of common decency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rusesabagina/this-is-why-i-say-that-the-individual-s-most-potent-weapon-is-a/) [Paul Rusesabagina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rusesabagina/) > [“Again, we may decry the color-prejudice of the South, yet it remains a heavy fact. Such curious kinks of the human mind exist and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois-2/again-we-may-decry-the-color-prejudice-of-the-south-yet-it-remains-a/) [W.E.B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois-2/) > [“ONE OF the most irrational of all the conventions of modern society is the one to the effect that religious opinions should be respected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken-2/one-of-the-most-irrational-of-all-the-conventions-of-modern-society/) [H.L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken-2/) > [“I have had some experiences with love, or think I have, anyway, although the ones I have liked best could easily be described as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-have-had-some-experiences-with-love-or-think-i-have-anyway-although/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I believe that poverty is often the result of inappropriate behavior - out-of-wedlock births, dropping out of school, crime and drugs - which should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-klein/i-believe-that-poverty-is-often-the-result-of-inappropriate-behavior/) [Joe Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-klein/) > [“Against such a background one can easily imagine the shock that must have gripped readers of The Times of London, who turned to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/against-such-a-background-one-can-easily-imagine-the-shock-that-must/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You might not get the apology you deserve. You might not get answers to explain the actions of others. You might not get truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/you-might-not-get-the-apology-you-deserve-you-might-not-get-answers/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [School days, I believe, are the unhappiest in the whole span of human existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/school-days-i-believe-are-the-unhappiest-in-the-whole-span-of-human/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“We would do well, as Orwell counselled, to see the traces of the dystopian around us, to find the ends of those threads and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darran-anderson/we-would-do-well-as-orwell-counselled-to-see-the-traces-of-the/) Darran Anderson > [“Listen, we’re going to have to learn to get along if we’re going to be spending the next three months together. So how about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-monroe/listen-we-re-going-to-have-to-learn-to-get-along-if-we-re-going-to-be/) [Sophie Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-monroe/) > [I wish that people who are conventionally supposed to love each other would say to each other, when they fight, "Please - a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-wish-that-people-who-are-conventionally-supposed-to-love-each-other/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Of government, at least in democratic states, it may be said briefly that it is an agency engaged wholesale, and as a matter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/of-government-at-least-in-democratic-states-it-may-be-said-briefly/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [School days, I believe, are the unhappiest in the whole span of human existence. They are full of dull, unintelligible tasks, new and unpleasant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/school-days-i-believe-are-the-unhappiest-in-the-whole-span-of-human-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 47 Common decency quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-decency/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We are passing through an eerie phase of history in which the things that everyone really knows are treated as unheard-of doctrines, a time in which the elements of common decency are themselves attacked as indecent. Nothing quite like this has ever happened before. 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