There are three ways of securing a society that shall be stable as regards population. The first is that of birth control, the second that of infanticide or really destructive wars, and the third that of general misery except for a powerful minority.
Interpretation
The quote discusses three drastic methods to control population stability, hinting at their moral implications.
Bertrand Russell highlights the severe consequences and ethical dilemmas involved in managing population stability. He identifies birth control as a more humane approach, while infanticide and destructive wars, along with a state of general misery for the majority, serve as grim alternatives that indicate societal failure and moral decline. This quote provokes thought on the importance of humane and ethical solutions to social issues.
In practice
During a seminar on ethics in population control, this quote can be referenced to facilitate discussion.
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Job endured everything - until his friends came to comfort him, then he grew impatient.
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I don't think I understood the full extent of the trauma experienced by people who churn through America's prisons until I began taking the time to listen to their stories.
Still seems it strange, that thou shouldst live forever? Is it less strange, that thou shouldst live at all? This is a miracle; and that no more.
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