The Society In Which Each

I Think That When We Believe That Something Is Right, There's A Serious Ambivalence About It. On One Hand, You Say, Because It's Right, It Must Be Victorious. On The Other Hand, You Say, It's Right Whether It's Victorious Or Not. And This Is What I Believe About A Free Society.

Freedom Is Necessary For Two Reasons. It's Necessary For The Individual, Because The Individual, No Matter How Good The Society Is, Every Individual Has Hopes, Fears, Ambitions, Creative Urges, That Transcend The Purposes Of His Society. Therefore We Have A Long History Of Freedom, Where People Try To Extricate Themselves From Tyranny For The Sake Of Art, For The Sake Of Science, For The Sake Of Religion, For The Sake Of The Conscience Of The Individual - This Freedom Is Necessary For The Individual.

Our Dreams Of Bringing The Whole Of Human History Under The Control Of The Human Will Are Ironically Refuted By The Fact That No Group Of Idealists Can Easily Move The Pattern Of History Toward The Desired Goal Of Peace And Justice. The Recalcitrant Forces In The Historical Drama Have A Power And Persistence Beyond Our Reckoning.

Self-righteousness Is The Inevitable Fruit Of Simple Moral Judgments.

Humor Is A Prelude To Faith And Laughter Is The Beginning Of Prayer.