Philosophy Quote by Will Durant
““When Zeno, who did not believe in slavery, was beating his slave for some offense, the slave pleaded, in mitigation, that by his master’s philosophy he had been destined from all eternity to commit this fault; to which Zeno replied, with the calm of a sage, that on the same philosophy he, Zeno, had been destined to beat him for it.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant, 1949
Zeno argues that if a philosophy justifies a slave’s fate, the same philosophy can justify the master’s violence, highlighting logical inconsistency.
In simple terms: Philosophy must be applied consistently.
Key Takeaway
Check consistency in moral arguments.
Themes
ethics
logic
philosophy
Mood
thoughtful
critical
Type
philosophical
ethical
When to use this quote
- debating ethics
- teaching philosophy
- historical analysis
Key Concepts
moral relativism
determinism
Questions to Reflect On
- Can a belief system be both just and unjust?
- How do we guard against selective reasoning?
A Different Perspective
Philosophical arguments can be twisted to excuse wrongdoing.
![“I never knew any man who had once tasted the sweetness of experimental knowledge, that ever afterward fasted after ye Vapour garlick and onions of phantasmatical seeming philosophy." [William Petty]” quote by Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e5a/carl-zimmer-16331_knowledge_i-never-knew-any-man-who-had-once-tasted_1770.jpg)
