Adventure Quote by Steven Pinker
““Lewis Richardson wrote that his quest to analyze peace with numbers sprang from two prejudices. As a Quaker, he believed that "the moral evil in war outweighs the moral good, although the latter is conspicuous." As a scientist, he thought there was too much moralizing about war and not enough knowledge. "For indignation is so easy and satisfying a mood that it is apt to prevent one from attending to any facts that oppose it. If the reader should object that I have abandoned ethics for the false doctrine that 'tout comprendre c'est tout pardonner' [to understand all is to forgive all], I can reply that it is only a temporary suspense of ethical judgment, made because 'beaucoup condamner c'est peu comprendre' [to condemn much is to understand little]." (p. 200)””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Better Angels of Our Nature, 2011
A scientist and a Quaker sought to quantify peace, balancing moral concerns with empirical analysis, highlighting the tension between emotion and fact.
In simple terms: Balancing moral feelings with data can clarify complex issues.
Key Takeaway
Use data to inform ethical debates.
Themes
ethics
science
peace
analysis
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
philosophical
scholarly
When to use this quote
- policy making
- conflict resolution
- academic research
Key Concepts
quantitative methods
philosophy
human behavior
Questions to Reflect On
- What role should emotion play in policy?
- How can we integrate ethics with empirical data?
A Different Perspective
Emotions can cloud judgment, but data alone may miss moral nuance.
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