“A belligerent state permits itself every such misdeed, every such act of violence, as would disgrace the individual.”
- May 6, 1856 – September 23, 1939
- Austrian
- Neurologist, Founder of Psychoanalysis
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Quote
“A belligerent state permits itself every such misdeed, every such act of violence, as would disgrace the individual.”
Explanation
Freud sharply critiques the moral double standards between individuals and states, highlighting how war allows a nation to justify and commit acts of violence that would be shameful or criminal if carried out by a private citizen. While individuals are held to ethical and legal standards, the belligerent state suspends these norms, using the context of war to rationalize brutality, destruction, and inhumanity. Freud exposes how collective action under nationalism or ideology can erode moral restraint.
This idea is central to Freud’s reflections in Thoughts for the Times on War and Death (1915), written during World War I. He was dismayed by the collapse of civilized values in the face of mass violence and noted how education, culture, and progress failed to prevent barbarism at the national level. Freud’s analysis suggests that, under the mask of patriotism or duty, states may indulge in the very instincts—aggression, vengeance, domination—that civilization asks individuals to repress.
Today, Freud’s quote remains chillingly relevant in the context of modern warfare, state violence, and political extremism. Whether through indiscriminate bombing, torture, or civilian displacement, nations often act with impunity that individuals cannot claim. Freud’s insight compels us to question how collective identities are used to bypass individual conscience, and how civilization can endure when the state itself becomes the conduit for the very instincts it demands citizens to suppress.
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