What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.
George Bernard ShawRead
When the horrors of anarchy force us to set up laws that forbid us to fight and torture one another for sport, we still snatch at every excuse for declaring individuals outside the protection of law and torturing them to our hearts content.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the paradox of society's laws against violence while still finding ways to justify it against certain individuals.
In this quotation, George Bernard Shaw observes a crucial contradiction in human behavior and societal norms. While laws are implemented to prevent violence and ensure safety, there remains a tendency to seek out marginalized individuals or groups who can be subjected to harm without legal protection. Shaw critiques the moral failings of society, suggesting that even in a structured legal system, there exists a disturbing desire to inflict suffering on others, thus revealing the darker instincts of humanity.
Themes
AnarchyLawViolenceMoralitySociety
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be cited during discussions on the ethics of law and punishment.
More from George Bernard Shaw
All quotes →Marriage is good enough for the lower classes: they have facilities for desertion that are denied to us.
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Forgive him, for he believes that the customs of his tribe are the laws of nature!
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Those who talk most about the blessings of marriage and the constancy of its vows are the very people who declare that if the chain were broken and the prisoners left free to choose, the whole social fabric would fly asunder. You cannot have the argument both ways. If the prisoner is happy, why lock him in? If he is not, why pretend that he is?
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Treat a friend as a person who may someday become your enemy; an enemy as a person who may someday become your friend.
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The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality.
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