WIST QuotationsApr 9

A quotation from Lincoln

   If A. can prove, however conclusively, that he may, of right, enslave B. — why may not B. snatch the same argument, and prove equally, that he may enslave A?
   You say A. is white, and B. is black. It is color, then; the lighter having the right to enslave the darker? Take care. By this rule, you are to be slave to the first man you meet, with a fairer skin than your own.
   You do not mean color exactly? — You mean the whites are intellectually the superior of blacks, and, therefore, have the right to enslave them? Take care again. By this rule, you are to be slave to the first man you meet, with an intellect superior to your own.
   But, say you, it is a question of interest; and, if you can make it your interest, you have the right to enslave another. Very well. And if he can make it his interest, he has the right to enslave you.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American lawyer, politician, US President (1861-65)
Note (1854-07-01?), On Slavery (fragment)

More about this quote: wist.info/lincoln-abraham/5166…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #lincoln #abrahamlincoln #debate #enslavement #justification #racism #rationalization #reasoning #slavery #superiority

Lincoln, Abraham - Note (1854-07-01?), On Slavery (fragment) | WIST Quotations

If A. can prove, however conclusively, that he may, of right, enslave B. -- why may not B. snatch the same argument, and prove equally, that he may enslave A? You say A. is white, and B. is black. It is color, then; the lighter having the right to enslave…

WIST Quotations
Stephen HayesFeb 2
#Propaganda and #Brainwashing #Socialism vs. the self-justifications or #rationalization of #Neoliberalism. m.youtube.com/watch?v=rP1_...

Stop blaming human nature for ...
Stop blaming human nature for capitalism

YouTube
BodhipaksaJan 22

Intoxicated by the heady ending of Season 3 of Bonusfamiljen, I went ahead and ordered the Blu-Rays of Fanny och Alexander and Sommarnattens leende, from The Criterion Collection.

It's kind of expensive, but I'm justifying it by framing it as me sticking it to the man: owning physical media rather than relying on streaming.

#rationalization #IngmarBergman #svenskfilm #svenska

Waywords StudioAug 23, 2025

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑵𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒔: 𝑳𝒆 𝑮𝒖𝒊𝒏 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕 2: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 -

Is this Omelas story really about that suffering child? Or is it more about how we wall its suffering out, then invite it back in? The second of several parts.

https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/le-guin-2-architectures-of-happiness/

#podcast #literature #books #bookworm #book #read #readreadread #ursulakleguin #theoneswhowalkawayfromomelas #dilemma #psychology #rationalization #culturecriticism #socialcomplicity

WIST Quotations Has Moved!Aug 14, 2025

A quotation from Molière

My first reaction was to be afraid
This ardor was a snare the Devil had laid;
And I avoided you as a temptation
That might stand in the way of my salvation.
But finally I knew, O gracious beauty,
That passion need not be at odds with duty,
That I can reconcile it with propriety;
And so I yield to it without anxiety.
 
[D’abord j’appréhendai que cette ardeur secrète
Ne fût du noir esprit une surprise adroite;
Et même à fuir vos yeux mon cœur se résolut,
Vous croyant un obstacle à faire mon salut.
Mais enfin je connus, ô beauté tout aimable!
Que cette passion peut n’être point coupable,
Que je puis l’ajuster avecque la pudeur;
Et c’est ce qui m’y fait abandonner mon cœur.]

Molière (1622-1673) French playwright, actor [stage name for Jean-Baptiste Poquelin]
Tartuffe, or the Hypocrite [Le Tartuffe, ou L’Imposteur], Act 3, sc. 3 (1669) [tr. Frame (1967)]

Sourcing, notes, other translations: wist.info/moliere/78379/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #moliere #tartuffe #ardor #carnality #decency #devil #justification #lust #passion #rationalization #temptation #selfinterest

Tartuffe, or the Hypocrite [Le Tartuffe, ou L'Imposteur], Act 3, sc. 3 (1669) [tr. Frame (1967)] - Moliere | WIST Quotations

My first reaction was to be afraid This ardor was a snare the Devil had laid; And I avoided you as a temptation That might stand in the way of my salvation. But finally I knew, O gracious beauty, That passion need not be at odds with duty, That I…

WIST Quotations
WIST Quotations Has Moved!Aug 5, 2025

A quotation from Hannah Arendt

In their moral justification, the argument of the lesser evil has played a prominent role. If you are confronted with two evils, thus the argument runs, it is your duty to opt for the lesser one, whereas it is irresponsible to refuse to choose altogether. […] Politically, the weakness of the argument has always been that those who choose the lesser evil forget very quickly that they chose evil.

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) German-American philosopher, political theorist
Essay (1964-08), “Personal Responsibility Under Dictatorship,” The Listener Magazine

Sourcing, notes: wist.info/arendt-hannah/45553/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #arendt #hannaharendt #binary #brightline #choice #evil #goodandevil #lesserevil #lesseroftwoevils #morality #necessaryevil #rationalization #selfjustification

WIST Quotations Has Moved!Jul 15, 2025

A quotation from Ambrose Bierce

REASON, v.i. To weight probabilities in the scales of desire.

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) American writer and journalist
“Reason,” The Devil’s Dictionary (1911)

Sourcing, notes: wist.info/bierce-ambrose/77706…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #ambrosebierce #devilsdictionary #desire #objectivity #probability #reason #subjectivity #wishfulthinking #rationalization

Wisdom in SpaceMay 20, 2025

The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
-- John Kenneth Galbraith

⬆ #Wisdom #Quotes #JohnKennethGalbraith #Conservatism #Rationalization #Selfishness

⬇ #Photography #Panorama #Panopainting #Books

Show threadEstelle PlatiniApr 16, 2025

a few notes on a Linda Rising's talk

"Realize up front that this is hard".

Cognitive dissonance: contradictory "evidence" causes severe cognitive discomfort.

* We are not rational decision-makers
* but we are good at explaining after-the-fact why we made a decision – a pattern called rationalization.

Two thirds of people will not consider an idea until "somebody they know pretty well, is doing it, is happy with it, talks about it […] so maybe i might think about it".
To convince,
* you must address: "What's in it for me?" – requires empathy;
* you can use the values of your opponent. (Loyalty or fairness?)

A pattern of personal touch: walk a mile in the other's shoes
Another pattern: "Give it a try"
Another pattern: listen
Another pattern: ask for something personal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrCD1wmK9oM via @matthew

#conversations #memory #neuroscience #campaigning #narratives #storyTelling #morality #socialPsych #socialPsychology #facilitation #rationalization #values #influence #LindaRising #morals #principles

Meeting Resistance & Moving Forward • Linda Rising • GOTO 2017

YouTube
WIST Quotations Has Moved!Mar 7, 2025

A quotation from Joseph Heller

The chaplain had mastered, in a moment of divine intuition, the handy technique of protective rationalization, and he was exhilarated by his discovery. It was miraculous. It was almost no trick at all, he saw, to turn vice into virtue and slander into truth, impotence into abstinence, arrogance into humility, plunder into philanthropy, thievery into honor, blasphemy into wisdom, brutality into patriotism, and sadism into justice. Anybody could do it; it required no brains at all. It merely required no character.

Joseph Heller (1923-1999) American novelist
Catch-22, ch. 34 “Thanksgiving” (1961)

Sourcing, notes: wist.info/heller-joseph/75457/

#quote #quotes #quotation #character #cognitivedissonance #rationalization #selfdeception