Euthanasia is a long, smooth-sounding word, and it conceals its danger as long, smooth words do, but the danger is there, nevertheless.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The term euthanasia sounds gentle but hides serious moral and ethical risks.
- In plain terms
- Smooth words can hide dangerous ideas.
- What can you take from it?
- Look beyond polite language to see underlying risks.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What words do we use to soften hard truths?
- How does language shape our view of ethical issues?
Another view
Not all complex terms use dangerous; some clarify difficult subjects.
More from Pearl Buck
It is a shameful sign of our arrogance that our history departments have almost no Chinese history in them, our literature courses almost no Chinese literature…
Permalink to quote #6 Because psychologists have been able to discover, exactly as in a slow-motion picture, the way the human creature acquires knowledge and habits, the normal chi…
Permalink to quote #8 Men and women should own the world as a mutual possession.
Permalink to quote #5
Related quotes
I speak an open and disinterested language, dictated by no passion but that of humanity. To me, who have not only refused offers, because I thought them improp…
Thomas PaineThomas Paine quote #1 Experienced military and intelligence professionals know that torture, in addition to being illegal and immoral, is an unreliable means of extracting informati…
Harry E. SoysterHarry E. Soyster quote #1 The targeted assassination policy is a correct one. It is inconceivable that terrorists could operate freely without the ground quaking under their feet.
Amir PeretzAmir Peretz quote #1