The bond with a true dog is as lasting as the ties of this earth will ever be.
Konrad LorenzRead
Evil, by definition, is that which endangers the good, and the good is that which we perceive as a value.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Evil threatens what we hold valuable, and goodness is tied to our perceptions of value.
In this quote, Konrad Lorenz suggests that evil can be understood as anything that poses a threat to the good, which he defines in terms of our shared values. This indicates that our perception of what is good is subjective and that evil is directly linked to the violation of those values we cherish. The relationship between good and evil is therefore rooted in our understanding of what we find valuable in life.
Themes
EvilGoodValuesPerceptionThreat
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about morality, this quote can be used to highlight the importance of recognizing threats to our values.
More from Konrad Lorenz
All quotes βWhenever we find, in two forms of life that are unrelated to each other, a similarity of form or of behaviour patterns which relates to more than a few minor details, we assume it to be caused by parallel adaptation to the same life-preserving function.
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I grew up in the large house and the larger garden of my parents in Altenberg. They were supremely tolerant of my inordinate love for animals.
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More than any other product of human scientific culture scientific knowledge is the collective property of all mankind.
Konrad LorenzRead
In nature we find not only that which is expedient, but also everything which is not so inexpedient as to endanger the existence of the species.
Konrad LorenzRead
Most people have forgotten how to live with living creatures, with living systems and that, in turn, is the reason why man, whenever he comes into contact with nature, threatens to kill the natural system in which and from which he live.
Konrad LorenzRead
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