Crimes against humanity Quote by Sam Harris
““By contrast, the most monstrous crimes against humanity have invariably been inspired by unjustified belief.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Moral Landscape by Sam Harris, 2010
Crimes of massive scale often stem from irrational, unjustified beliefs that dehumanize others.
In simple terms: Huge crimes come from false beliefs.
Key Takeaway
Question beliefs that justify harm.
Themes
morality
violence
human rights
Mood
reflective
serious
Type
ethical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- political rhetoric
- religious doctrine
- media propaganda
- education curricula
Key Concepts
psychology of belief
dehumanization
extremism
Questions to Reflect On
- What beliefs do you hold that could harm others?
- How can societies guard against belief‑driven atrocities?
A Different Perspective
Even justified beliefs can be misused; context matters.
![“...chief executives of large fossil fuel companies to [should] be put on trial for high crimes against humanity and nature; [Hansen] accusing them of actively spreading doubt about global warming in the same way that tobacco companies blurred the links between smoking and cancer.” quote by James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/29b/james-hansen-7143_accusing_chief-executives-of-large-fossil-fuel-co_1468352.jpg)
![“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern world. [...] The first thing to observe about the moderate’s retreat from scriptural literalism is that it draws its inspiration not from scripture but from…” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b44/sam-harris-457_bible_moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to_6967.jpg)
