 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
Most of the cases in which there seems to be a belief that certain actions are right and others wrong independently of their consequences are traceable to the effects of tabus of which the sanctions have been forgotten or have come to seem incredible.
But the horror inspired by a tabu action which is thought to bring punishment often survives belief in the punishment, and thus gives rise to a rule which can no longer be defended on utilitarian grounds.
Source: Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, (1954), chapter 3
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