Anti-intellectualism has long been the anti-Semitism of the businessman.
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.Read
There is no more dangerous thing for a democracy than a foreign policy based on presidential preventive war.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Preventive war in foreign policy can jeopardize democracy.
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. warns that a democracy can be endangered when its foreign policy relies on the concept of preventive war, which is the striking pre-emptively against perceived threats. This approach can lead to reckless decisions that undermine democratic values and the principles of dialogue and diplomacy.
Themes
DemocracyForeign PolicyPreventive WarPoliticsDanger
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about war ethics, one might reference Schlesinger's warning about preventive wars to emphasize the need for diplomatic solutions.
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The genius of impeachment lay in the fact that it could punish the man without punishing the office.
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Clarity in language depends on clarity in thought.
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Man generally is entangled in insoluble problems; history is consequently a tragedy in which we are all involved, whose keynote is anxiety and frustration, not progress and fulfilment.
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In view of the tide of religiosity engulfing a once secular republic it is refreshing to be reminded by Freethinkers that free thought and skepticism are robustly in the American tradition. After all the Founding Fathers began by omitting God from the American Constitution.
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.Read
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