War does not determine who is right - only who is left.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- War decides who survives, not who is morally right.
- In plain terms
- War determines who is left, not who is right.
- What can you take from it?
- Survival, not morality, often decides outcomes of conflict.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How can moral considerations affect war outcomes?
- What role does survival play in justice?
Another view
Moral judgments can still influence war conduct.
More from Bertrand Russell
To choose one sock from each of infinitely many pairs of socks requires the Axiom of choice, but for shoes the Axiom is not needed.
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