Quote by Milan Kundera
Mankind's true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it.
Summary
This quote suggests that the true measure of humanity's morality lies in how it treats animals. It implies that mankind has failed this moral test, which it calls a fundamental debacle, with far-reaching consequences. The quote highlights the importance of considering the welfare and treatment of animals as indicative of a society's ethics and argues that the failure in this regard is the root cause of many other failures.