Our dreams of a pure virtue are dissolved in a situation in which it is possible to exercise the virtue of responsibility toward a community of nations only by courting the prospective guilt of the atomic bomb.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Pursuing pure moral ideals often requires compromising them to address complex global responsibilities, leading to unavoidable moral guilt.
- In plain terms
- Doing what is right for the world sometimes means doing things that feel wrong.
- What can you take from it?
- Moral purity is often impossible in complex political realities.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is it right to do wrong?
- How do you live with necessary guilt?
Another view
Not all situations require such drastic moral compromises.
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