Airplane Quote by Sam Harris
“It seems to me patently obvious that we can no more respect and tolerate vast differences in notions of human well-being than we can respect or tolerate vast differences in the notions about how disease spreads, or in the safety standards of buildings and airplanes.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Moral Landscape by Sam Harris, 2010
We should not accept wildly different standards for human well‑being any we already reject divergent safety standards for disease control or engineering.
In simple terms: Treat well‑being standards like safety standards.
Key Takeaway
Apply consistent ethical criteria.
Themes
ethics
public health
risk
human rights
policy
Mood
thoughtful
serious
Type
ethical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- health policy
- building codes
- airplane safety
- global health initiatives
Key Concepts
utilitarianism
risk assessment
social contract
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we balance cultural diversity with universal safety?
- What criteria should define acceptable well‑being standards?
A Different Perspective
People may argue cultural relativism justifies differing well‑being views.
![“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)
