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Poor human nature, what horrible crimes have been committed in thy name! Every fool, from king to policeman, from the flatheaded parson to the visionless dabbler in science, presumes to speak authoritatively of human nature. The greater the mental charlatan, the more definite his insistence on the wickedness and weaknesses of human nature.

Emma Goldman#76

EthicsPowerAuthorityOppressionPsychologyCritiqueHuman nature

About this quote

What does it mean?
Goldman warns that experts often falsely claim authority over human nature to justify oppression.
In plain terms
Many people claim to know human nature just to control others.
What can you take from it?
Distrust claims of absolute knowledge about people.

Where it applies

  • policy debates
  • psychology
  • leadership

Putting it to work

  • question expert claims
  • respect human complexity

Questions to consider

  • Who gets to define human nature?
  • How do claims of nature limit freedom?

Another view

Science can reveal real patterns in human behavior.

More from Emma Goldman

  1. Politics is the reflex of the business and industrial world.

    Permalink to quote #75
  2. Public school - where the human mind is drilled and manipulated into submission to various social and moral spooks, and thus fitted to continue our system of e…

    Permalink to quote #77
  3. Only when human sorrows are turned into a toy with glaring colors will baby people become interested - for a while at least. The people are a very fickle baby …

    Permalink to quote #74

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