6 ms·

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke#Disputed http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke#Disputed "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that go

by gohrt 13y ago

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke#Disputed http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke#Disputed "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

stephengillie 13y ago
Good and evil are highly subjective concepts.
- hvs 13y ago
  Your point is...?
  - stephengillie 13y ago
    That quote gets trotted out often, but it's highly meaningless.
    - tbrownaw 13y ago
      How so? Some people want to cause X (call this "good"), some people want to cause not-X (call this "evil"). If the people who want to cause X fail to act on that want, it makes it more likely that not-X will happen. There's also the fact that most common definitions of "good" and "evil" tend to align more-or-less along "evil" favoring immediate benefits to self while "good" favors more distant benefits to others, which leads to failure to act tending to associate more with ideals considered "good".
      - stephengillie 13y ago
        Let's swap "good" and "evil" in your statement: > Some people want to cause X (call this "evil"), some people want to cause not-X (call this "good"). If the people who want to cause X fail to act on that want, it makes it more likely that not-X will happen. Terrorist/freedom fighter, whistleblower/enemy informant, "po-tae-to"/"poh-tah-to", etc.
        pessimizer 13y ago
        Doesn't matter. "All that is necessary for the triumph of the Lakers is that the rest of the NBA do nothing."
        deleted 13y ago
        [deleted]
        stephengillie 13y ago
        So you're saying that the entire quote is tautalogically meaningless?
        pessimizer 13y ago
        No, I'm saying that it's not a exclusively a comment about good and evil, but a comment about doing nothing to prevent an outcome that you don't want. Also "tautologically."
        stephengillie 13y ago
        Apologies if my wordcrafting isn't correct. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tautology_(rhetoric) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tautology_(rhetoric)
Afforess 13y ago
"A witty saying proves nothing" -Voltaire http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Voltaire http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Voltaire
- foobarbazqux 13y ago
  "Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana" -Groucho Marx (maybe) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_flies_like_an_arrow;_fruit_flies_like_a_banana https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_flies_like_an_arrow;_frui...
LastZactionHero 13y ago
"If I don't survive, tell my wife 'hello'."
caf 13y ago
Or as recently styled, "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept." http://boingboing.net/2013/06/13/australian-army-on-institution.html http://boingboing.net/2013/06/13/australian-army-on-institut...
mistercow 13y ago
The probable actual quote that's derived from is much more powerfully worded, but harder to remember, and not exactly equivalent: > When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.

by gohrt 13y ago

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke#Disputed http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edmund_Burke#Disputed "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

stephengillie 13y ago

Good and evil are highly subjective concepts.

hvs 13y ago
Your point is...?
- stephengillie 13y ago
  That quote gets trotted out often, but it's highly meaningless.
  - tbrownaw 13y ago
    How so? Some people want to cause X (call this "good"), some people want to cause not-X (call this "evil"). If the people who want to cause X fail to act on that want, it makes it more likely that not-X will happen. There's also the fact that most common definitions of "good" and "evil" tend to align more-or-less along "evil" favoring immediate benefits to self while "good" favors more distant benefits to others, which leads to failure to act tending to associate more with ideals considered "good".
    - stephengillie 13y ago
      Let's swap "good" and "evil" in your statement: > Some people want to cause X (call this "evil"), some people want to cause not-X (call this "good"). If the people who want to cause X fail to act on that want, it makes it more likely that not-X will happen. Terrorist/freedom fighter, whistleblower/enemy informant, "po-tae-to"/"poh-tah-to", etc.
      - pessimizer 13y ago
        Doesn't matter. "All that is necessary for the triumph of the Lakers is that the rest of the NBA do nothing."
        deleted 13y ago
        [deleted]
        stephengillie 13y ago
        So you're saying that the entire quote is tautalogically meaningless?
        pessimizer 13y ago
        No, I'm saying that it's not a exclusively a comment about good and evil, but a comment about doing nothing to prevent an outcome that you don't want. Also "tautologically."
        stephengillie 13y ago
        Apologies if my wordcrafting isn't correct. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tautology_(rhetoric) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tautology_(rhetoric)

Afforess 13y ago

"A witty saying proves nothing" -Voltaire http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Voltaire http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Voltaire

foobarbazqux 13y ago
"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana" -Groucho Marx (maybe) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_flies_like_an_arrow;_fruit_flies_like_a_banana https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_flies_like_an_arrow;_frui...

LastZactionHero 13y ago

"If I don't survive, tell my wife 'hello'."

caf 13y ago

Or as recently styled, "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept." http://boingboing.net/2013/06/13/australian-army-on-institution.html http://boingboing.net/2013/06/13/australian-army-on-institut...

mistercow 13y ago

The probable actual quote that's derived from is much more powerfully worded, but harder to remember, and not exactly equivalent: > When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.