Global terrorism is extreme both in its lack of realistic goals and in its cynical exploitation of the vulnerability of complex systems.
Jurgen HabermasRead
I cannot imagine a context that would some day, in some manner, make the monstrous crime of September 11 an understandable or comprehensible political act
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses disbelief that the September 11 attacks could ever be justified or rationalized in a political context.
Jurgen Habermas emphasizes the moral outrage surrounding the September 11 attacks, asserting that no political context can justify such a horrific act of violence. By characterizing the event as a 'monstrous crime,' he highlights the need for ethical considerations in political discourse and the dangers of rationalizing acts of terror.
Themes
September 11TerrorismPoliticsMoralityViolence
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech addressing the importance of peace, one might reference this quote to emphasize that acts of violence can never be justified, regardless of context.
More from Jurgen Habermas
All quotes βIf the September 11 terror attack is supposed to constitute a caesura in world history, it must be able to stand comparison to other events of world historical impact.
Jurgen HabermasRead
The scenarios of biological or chemical warfare painted in detail by the American media during the months after September 11 only betray the inability of the government to determine the magnitude of the danger.
Jurgen HabermasRead
Perhaps September 11 could be called the first historic world event in the strictest sense: the impact, the explosion, the slow collapse - a gruesome reality literally took place in front of a global public.
Jurgen HabermasRead
The difference between political terror and ordinary crime becomes clear during the change of regimes, in which former terrorists become well-regarded representatives of their country.
Jurgen HabermasRead
Today's Islamic fundamentalism is also a cover for political motifs. We should not overlook the political motifs we encounter in forms of religious fanaticism
Jurgen HabermasRead
Similar quotes
What I am fighting is the idea that charity is a moral duty and a primary virtue.
Ayn RandRead
The characteristic of the hour is that the commonplace mind, knowing itself to be commonplace, has the assurance to proclaim the rights of the commonplace and to impose them wherever it will.
Jose Ortega Y GassetRead
We must choose between the violence of adults and the smiles of children. Between the ugliness of hate and the will to oppose it. Between inflicting suffering and humiliation on our fellow man and offering him the solidarity and hope he deserves.
Elie WieselRead
Those who invest in South Africa should not think they are doing us a favor; they are here for what they get out of our cheap and abundant labor, and they should know that they are buttressing one of the most vicious systems.
Desmond TutuRead
Nature has placed mankind under the government of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure... they govern us in all we do, in all we say, in all we think: every effort we can make to throw off our subjection, will serve but to demonstrate and confirm it.
Jeremy BenthamRead
In an asana, the mind has to reach inside the body to find a quiet space until a point comes where perfect balance is felt. If the mind is wandering while practicing, then one is not fully present, and there can be no union. Involvement, interpenetratio n and insight are the required qualities for the practitioner.
Geeta IyengarRead