To wage a war for a purely moral reason is as absurd as to ravish a woman for a purely moral reason
Interpretation
The quote suggests that actions driven purely by moral reasoning, without consideration of consequences, can lead to absurdity.
H. L. Mencken's quote highlights the complexity of human motivations, arguing that engaging in extreme actions—such as waging war or violating someone's autonomy—solely for moral reasons is illogical. It implies that morality alone cannot justify extreme measures, as such actions often lead to adverse outcomes, making the pursuit of a moral cause paradoxical.
In practice
In a debate about the justifications of war, this quote can illustrate the complexities of moral reasoning.
I know a good many men of great learning-that is, men born with an extraordinary eagerness and capacity to acquire knowledge. One and all, they tell me that they can't recall learning anything of any value in school. All that schoolmasters managed to accomplish with them was to test and determine the amount of knowledge that they had already acquired independently-and not infrequently the determination was made clumsily and inaccurately.
It takes a long while for a naturally trustful person to reconcile himself to the idea that after all God will not help him
It is the theory of all modern civilized governments that they protect and foster the liberty of the citizen; it is the practice of all of them to limit its exercise, and sometimes very narrowly.
The central belief of every moron is that he is the victim of a mysterious conspiracy against his common rights and true deserts.
The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy.
It is my conviction that no normal man ever fell in love, within the ordinary meaning of the term, after the age of thirty.
But no value has been put on human life; it is given to us free and taken without being paid for. What is it worth? If you look around, at times the value may seem to be little or nothing at all. Often after you have sweated and tried and things are not better for you, there comes a feeling deep down in the soul that you are not worth much.
...in the decline of life shame and grief are of short duration; whether it be that we bear easily what we have borne long; or that, finding ourselves in age less regarded, we less regard others; or, that we look with slight regard upon afflictions to which we know that the hand of death is about to put an end.
The unlike is joined together, and from differences results the most beautiful harmony.
There is always hope when people are forced to listen to both sides.
You must believe in truth that whatever God gives or permits is for your salvation.
As a working hypothesis to explain the riddle of our existence, I propose that our universe is the most interesting of all possible universes, and our fate as human beings is to make it so
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