From the humanitarian idylls of the eighteenth century to the bloodstained gallows the way leads directly; and the executioners of today, as everyone knows, are humanists.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Humanist ideals from the past have often led to violence and execution in the present.
- In plain terms
- Humanists of the past lead to executioners today.
- What can you take from it?
- Idealism can hide violent outcomes.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Are ideals dangerous?
- How has humanism changed?
Another view
Not all humanists lead to violence.
More from Albert Camus
From the evening breeze to this hand on my shoulder, everything has its truth. Consciousness illuminates it by paying attention to it.
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