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> As man advances in civilisation, and small tribes are united into larger communities, the simplest reason would tell each individual that he ought to extend h

> As man advances in civilisation, and small tribes are united into larger communities, the simplest reason would tell each individual that he ought to extend his social instincts and sympathies to all the members of the same nation, though personally unknown to him. This point being once reached, there is only an artificial barrier to prevent his sympathies extending to the men of all nations and races. If, indeed, such men are separated from him by great differences in appearance or habits, experience unfortunately shews us how long it is, before we look at them as our fellow-creatures. [...] This virtue, one of the noblest with which man is endowed, seems to arise incidentally from our sympathies becoming more tender and more widely diffused, until they are extended to all sentient beings. As soon as this virtue is honoured and practised by some few men, it spreads through instruction and example to the young, and eventually becomes incorporated in public opinion. -- Charles Darwin, "The Descent of Man" (1871) > A human being is a part of a whole, called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. -- Albert Einstein

deogeo 7y ago
> It has been asserted that the ear of man alone possesses a lobule; but 'a rudiment of it is found in the gorilla' and, as I hear from Prof. Preyer, it is not rarely absent in the negro. > The sense of smell is of the highest importance to the greater number of mammals--to some, as the ruminants, in warning them of danger; to others, as the Carnivora, in finding their prey; to others, again, as the wild boar, for both purposes combined. But the sense of smell is of extremely slight service, if any, even to the dark coloured races of men, in whom it is much more highly developed than in the white and civilised races. -- Charles Darwin, "The Descent of Man" (1871) > It would be a pity if these Chinese supplant all other races. For the likes of us the mere thought is unspeakably dreary. -- Albert Einstein
- PavlovsCat 7y ago
  Yes, and? Quoting a person doesn't mean blanket agreement to anything else they said, it's usually more about agreeing with the quote. As for Einstein, it would be a pity if any "race" would supplant all others.. do you disagree? How is that some kind of "gotcha" quote in your mind?
  - deogeo 7y ago
    The implied logic is "This person was Great, and said X, therefore X is Good". It is only fair to point out this can be used to support the almost polar opposite of the quote you chose. I mean, people should make up their own minds, instead of being swayed by authority, no? And the Einstein quote wasn't aimed at 'any' race - it was aimed specifically at the Chinese. The implication being that being supplanted by the Chinese is worse than if by some other race.
    - elefanten 7y ago
      The implied logic you name is actually your presumed logic. I certainly don't read that logic into every time someone uses a quote. Quotes can be used to show that past generations have said similar or relevant things Quotes can be used because they were interestingly or eloquently phrased Quotes can evoke someone's connection to a subject without relying on an appeal to authority. Probably the last thing I'd assume is that someone is seriously positing the quality of an argument based on who said it. Such a logic would probably be expressed explicitly if it was key to the message.
      - deogeo 7y ago
        > Such a logic would probably be expressed explicitly if it was key to the message. Not if you don't want the audience to critically examine it. Commercials don't say "product X will give you a happy family" - they just happen to show a happy family using product X.
        PavlovsCat 7y ago

deogeo 7y ago

> It has been asserted that the ear of man alone possesses a lobule; but 'a rudiment of it is found in the gorilla' and, as I hear from Prof. Preyer, it is not rarely absent in the negro. > The sense of smell is of the highest importance to the greater number of mammals--to some, as the ruminants, in warning them of danger; to others, as the Carnivora, in finding their prey; to others, again, as the wild boar, for both purposes combined. But the sense of smell is of extremely slight service, if any, even to the dark coloured races of men, in whom it is much more highly developed than in the white and civilised races. -- Charles Darwin, "The Descent of Man" (1871) > It would be a pity if these Chinese supplant all other races. For the likes of us the mere thought is unspeakably dreary. -- Albert Einstein

PavlovsCat 7y ago
Yes, and? Quoting a person doesn't mean blanket agreement to anything else they said, it's usually more about agreeing with the quote. As for Einstein, it would be a pity if any "race" would supplant all others.. do you disagree? How is that some kind of "gotcha" quote in your mind?
- deogeo 7y ago
  The implied logic is "This person was Great, and said X, therefore X is Good". It is only fair to point out this can be used to support the almost polar opposite of the quote you chose. I mean, people should make up their own minds, instead of being swayed by authority, no? And the Einstein quote wasn't aimed at 'any' race - it was aimed specifically at the Chinese. The implication being that being supplanted by the Chinese is worse than if by some other race.
  - elefanten 7y ago
    The implied logic you name is actually your presumed logic. I certainly don't read that logic into every time someone uses a quote. Quotes can be used to show that past generations have said similar or relevant things Quotes can be used because they were interestingly or eloquently phrased Quotes can evoke someone's connection to a subject without relying on an appeal to authority. Probably the last thing I'd assume is that someone is seriously positing the quality of an argument based on who said it. Such a logic would probably be expressed explicitly if it was key to the message.
    - deogeo 7y ago
      > Such a logic would probably be expressed explicitly if it was key to the message. Not if you don't want the audience to critically examine it. Commercials don't say "product X will give you a happy family" - they just happen to show a happy family using product X.
      - PavlovsCat 7y ago