March 18, 2005
An Ethical Philosophy Test
This gentleman is John Stewart Mill. Mill epitomized the theories of both his father and of Jeremy Bentham. Mill believed in basing knowledge upon human experience and emphasizing human reason. In political economy, Mill advocated those policies that he believed most consistent with individual liberty, and he emphasized that liberty could be threatened as much by social as by political tyranny. My quote permanently ensconsed in my sidebar is from Mill:
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse." Posted by GM Roper at March 18, 2005 07:32 PM | TrackBack
My two cents:
In 1954, RAF Marshal Sir John Slessor observed the following: "It is customary in democratic countries to deplore expenditures on armaments as conflicting with the requirements of social services. There is a tendency to forget the most important social service a government can do for its people is to keep them alive and free."
Indeed, war is an ugly thing and I know of no one with that experience who revels in its horror. At the same time, there are an untold number of service men and women, both active duty and retired, who well understand that it is often necessary to go into harms way in order to achieve a greater purpose. Assuring Americans of the continuation of liberty is such a purpose, on behalf of which countless of Americans have given all that they have to give. No American, whether political leader or private citizen has the right to ask for more than that; any American who loves his own comfort more than the freedom of his neighbor disgraces himself and the community of his origin.
Posted by HB at March 18, 2005 10:18 PM
