One should proceed with caution. We may simply not be wise enough to do some of the kinds of engineering things that people are talking about doing.
Leon KassRead
We should never rush into folly just because other nations are practicing it.
Interpretation
The quote advises against blindly following the actions of others, especially if they are unwise.
Leon Kass emphasizes the importance of independent thought and caution when it comes to decisions, particularly in the context of societal trends. He warns that just because other nations are engaging in unwise practices, it doesn't mean we should follow suit; instead, we should critically evaluate our own actions and their potential consequences.
In practice
This quote could be shared during a discussion on political trends at a community meeting to highlight the importance of independent thought.
One should proceed with caution. We may simply not be wise enough to do some of the kinds of engineering things that people are talking about doing.
There's an ancient tension between wanting to savor the world as it is and wanting to improve on the world as given.
As bad as it might be to destroy a creature made in God's image, it might be very much worse to be creating them after images of one's own.
It's a short step from the belief that every child should be wanted to the belief that a child exists to satisfy our wants.
Sexuality itself means mortality - equally for both man and woman.
Human life without death would be something other than human; consciousness of mortality gives rise to out deepest longings and greatest accomplishments.
It is not so easy to keep silent when the silence is a lie.
You are your own highest authority. Do not place your source of authority outside of you. Go within to see if the truth you've found is in harmony with the truth you find in your heart.
Every day we're given a choice: We can relax and float in the direction that the water flows, or we can swim hard against it. If we go with the river, the energy of a thousand mountain streams will be with us . . . if we resist the river, we will feel rankled and tired as we tread water, stuck in the same place.
The most important experiences a man can have are those that take him to the very limit; that is the only way we learn, because it requires all our courage.
It may be enough to study history in all its nuance and ambiguity for its own sake. But there is no country free of the need to find new ways of reading the past as an inspiring way of thinking about everything else, including the present.
Itβs one of my theories that when people give you advice, theyβre really just talking to themselves in the past.
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