Cruelty Quote by John Berger
“Nothing in the nature around us is evil. This needs to be repeated since one of the human ways of talking oneself into inhuman acts is to cite the supposed cruelty of nature.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Ways of Seeing by John Berger, 1972
Nature is not inherently evil; attributing cruelty to it justifies inhuman actions.
In simple terms: Nature isn’t evil; blame shifts responsibility.
Key Takeaway
Recognize human agency in harm.
Themes
ethics
environment
human nature
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- environmental policy debates
- conflict resolution
- education curricula
Key Concepts
philosophy
sociology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you differentiate natural events from human‑caused harm?
- What narratives excuse cruelty?
A Different Perspective
Denial of human responsibility can persist.
![“They [Americans] want to believe that Good and Evil can be defined in precise categories, that Good is already, or will be easily achieved. ... if this optimism appears too superficial, they will try to create a kind of anti-God: the U.S.S.R. That is Evil, and it only needs to be annihilated to…” quote by Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/79b/simone-de-beauvoir-407_anti-god_they-americans-want-to-believe-that-good_3182940.jpg)
![“Evil had to manifest itself and fulfill its role, so that ultimately Good could prevail. [...] Evil needs to manifest itself, for them to understand the value of Good.” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/249/paulo-coelho-10_evil_evil-had-to-manifest-itself-and-fulfill_796685.jpg)
![“There's the artist's intimacy and truthfulness to himself, but an equal intimacy to the Other [the one drawn]. Picasso drawings are like that... the Rembrandts are like that. The artist who most often did that was Van Gogh.” quote by John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0d1/john-berger-1590_art_there-s-the-artist-s-intimacy-and-truthf_155171.jpg)
