Coming together Quote by Peter Kreeft
““And what is consensus? It means a majority of the individuals in a society coming together and agreeing to make their values into laws, or 'society's standards.' A law is enforced only by force. So your 'consensus' really means that some individuals - the lawmakers, whoever they are - the majority of democracy - impose their personal values, their will, on the other's. That's 'judgementalism,' that's imposition. The relativist is accusing the absolutist of exactly the moral fault he's guilty of. It's not just bad philosophy. It's bad morality; it's hypocrisy; it's dishonest. The very people who say, 'Don't impose your values on me because they're relative and subjective' then go on to create a society that they say is only man-mad, not based on God or natural law, and they say that all values come from man, so a society is then nothing but some men imposing their values on others.””
About This Quote
Consensus often masks the imposition of majority values through law, which relies on coercion; critics of relativism may themselves impose their own standards, revealing hypocrisy.
In simple terms: Consensus can be coercive and hypocritical.
Key Takeaway
Law reflects power, not pure agreement.
Themes
political philosophy
ethics
law
relativism
authority
Mood
critical
skeptical
Type
philosophical critique
political commentary
When to use this quote
- legislative debates
- court rulings
- social movements
Key Concepts
power dynamics
moral absolutism
Practical Applications
- critical analysis of policy
- ethical education
Questions to Reflect On
- When does majority rule become oppression?
- Can a society balance shared standards with individual freedom?
A Different Perspective
Consensus can also emerge from genuine deliberation and shared values, not solely coercion.
![“The parts of the [Civil Right] Movement we recognize so well now were not born from a single decision, but were a complicated and messy evolution of ideas and spirits, coming together after a long, hard struggle to triumph in moments when the odds seemed the longest.” quote by Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8ad/andrew-aydin-21143_born_the-parts-of-the-civil-right-movement-we_9744.jpg)
