The only way to eliminate any government choice on what art is worthwhile, what art isn't worthwhile, is to get the government totally out of the business of funding.
Antonin ScaliaRead
This is an execution, not surgery. Where does that come from, that you must find the method of execution that causes the least pain?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the distinction between mercy and the harshness of judgment or decision-making.
Antonin Scalia's quote draws a stark contrast between the meticulous process of surgery, which aims to heal, and the definitive act of execution, which administers punishment. It questions the morality of seeking to minimize suffering in situations where a final decision is being made, suggesting that the act of execution itself is inherently cruel, and therefore any consideration for how to lessen pain is a misguided focus on the act rather than its moral implications.
Themes
ExecutionPainJusticeMoralityDecision-Making
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about the ethics of capital punishment, this quote can highlight the harsh realities of legal judgments.
More from Antonin Scalia
All quotes βIf I have brought any message today, it is this: Have the courage to have your wisdom regarded as stupidity. Be fools for Christ. And have the courage to suffer the contempt of the sophisticated world.
Antonin ScaliaRead
To allow the policy question of same-sex marriage to be considered and resolved by a select, patrician, highly unrepresentative panel of nine is to violate a principle even more fundamental than no taxation without representation: no social transformation without representation.
Antonin ScaliaRead
Until the courts put a stop to it, public debate over same-sex marriage displayed American democracy at its best. Individuals on both sides of the issue passionately, but respectfully, attempted to persuade their fellow citizens to accept their views.
Antonin ScaliaRead
Being a good person begins with being a wise person. Then, when you follow your conscience, will you be headed in the right direction.
Antonin ScaliaRead
If you're going to be a good and faithful judge, you have to resign yourself to the fact that you're not always going to like the conclusions you reach. If you like them all the time, you're probably doing something wrong.
Antonin ScaliaRead
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