Quote by Thurman W. Arnold
The term up has no meaning apart from the word down. The term fast has no meaning apart from the term slow. In addition such terms have no meaning even when used together, except when confined to a very particular situation... most of our language about the organization and objective's of government is made up of such polar terms. Justice and injustice are typical. A reformer who wants to abolish injustice and create a world in which nothing but justice prevails is like a man who wants to make everything up. Such a man might feel that if he took the lowest in the world and carried it up to the highest point and kept on doing this, everything would eventually become up. This would certainly move a great many objects and create an enormous amount of activity. It might or might not be useful, according to the standards which we apply. However it would never result in the abolishment of down.
Summary
This quote highlights the idea that certain terms and concepts only hold meaning in relation to their opposites. For example, terms like up and down, fast and slow, justice and injustice, rely on each other to exist. The quote suggests that when discussing matters such as the organization and objectives of government, relying solely on polar terms can be limiting. It implies that aiming to completely eradicate one extreme and bring everything to the other extreme, like eliminating injustice for absolute justice, might not be feasible or practical. It emphasizes the importance of considering context and the broader spectrum of possibilities.
Topics
Conflict
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