A Thought for Thursday

Here's something to think about from the theologian-philosopher Reinhold Neibuhr (1892-1971), one of the most prominent public intellectuals of the mid-twentieth century:

"The preservation of a democratic civilization requires
the wisdom of the serpent and the harmlessness of the
dove. The children of light must be armed with the
wisdom of the children of darkness but remain free
from their malice. They must know the power of self-
interest in human society without giving it moral
justification. They must have this wisdom in order
that they may beguile, deflect, harness and restrain
self-interest, individual and collective, for the sake
of the community."