Bertrand Russell Quotes

Bertrand Russell Quotes 366
Of the disagreements that occur in practice, much the greater number can be reduced to disagreements as to fact, and are therefore not essentially ethical. ... People who are defeated in war very often believe themselves to be upholding some ethical principle, but if they had foreseen their defeat, they would have perceived that their principle, whether valid or not, would not be upheld by such means.
Source: Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, (1954), chapter 10：Is there ethical knowledge ?
More info.: https://russell-j.com/cool/47T-1011.htm


* a brief comment (Translated with DeepL.com)
Reckless conduct due to misconceptions about facts in the past is reflected upon after a considerable period of time. However, in current and anticipated future problems, misjudgments are repeated without sufficient efforts in fact-finding and fact-recognition, and similar mistakes continue to be made. It is said that ‘even a monkey can do it if he only reflects’, but many people seem to think that ‘it's too much trouble to think, so let's just go with the crowd (follow the majority opinion). Every year, the media and the public present us with all sorts of information about what is trendy this year, and we are so occupied with ‘consuming’ them that time passes. Only major powers can impose their will and claims on other countries by violence (use of force). This is not limited to communist countries. Before and during the war, Japan alone tried to impose its will on other countries, but failed. Today, Japan can also share in the sweet juices as long as it follows the US. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)