|
Jacques Ellul quote
Gentlemen,
I stumbled on this quote while studying for finals from the French (gasp!) social theorist Jacques Ellul that I found pretty interesting, I thought it spark some interesting conversation on the board. This was written over 25 years ago, I submit for your approval..
"The essential, central, undeniable fact is that the West was the first civilization in history to focus attention on the individual and on freedom [...] The West, and the West alone is responsible for the movement that has led to the desire for freedom [...] Today men point the finger of outrage at slavery and torture. Where did that kind of indignation originate? What civilization or culture cried out that slavery was unacceptable and torture scandalous? Not Islam, or Buddhism, or Confucius, or Zen, or the religions and moral codes of Africa and India! The West alone has defended the inalienable rights of the human person, the dignity of the individual [...] The West attempted to apply in a conscious, methodical way the implications of freedom [...] The West discovered what no one else had discovered: freedom and the individual [...] I see no other satisfactory model that can replace what the West has produced"
Sgt Fonzy
|
Linear Mode
