The more research you do, the more at ease you are in the world you're writing about. It doesn't encumber you, it makes you free.
A. S. ByattRead
There are things I take sides about, like capital punishment, which it seems to me there is only one side about: it is evil. But there are two or three sides to sexual harassment, and the moment you get into particular cases, there is injustice in every conceivable direction. It's a mess.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the complexity of moral issues, contrasting absolute evil with nuanced social issues.
A. S. Byatt emphasizes the difference between clearly defined moral stances, such as the unequivocal nature of capital punishment as evil, and the multifaceted social issue of sexual harassment, where differing viewpoints and specific cases can lead to injustices on all sides. The quote suggests that some issues are clear-cut while others are tangled and require careful consideration of various perspectives.
Themes
MoralityInjusticeComplexitySexual HarassmentCapital Punishment
In practice
Example use cases
Discussing ethical dilemmas in a philosophy class.
More from A. S. Byatt
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Why do we take pleasure in gruesome death, neatly packaged as a puzzle to which we may find a satisfactory solution through clues - or if we are not clever enough, have it revealed by the all-powerful tale-teller at the end of the book? It is something to do with being reduced to, and comforted by, playing by the rules.
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Never stop paying attention to things. Never make your mind up finally. Do not hold beliefs.
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Only write to me, write to me, I love to see the hop and skip and sudden starts of your ink.
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I am a creature of my pen. My pen is the best of me.
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