“Can anything be stupider than that a man has the right to kill me because he lives on the other side of a river and his ruler has a quarrel with mine, though I have not quarrelled with him?”
- June 19, 1623 – August 19, 1662
- French
- Mathematician, Physicist, Inventor, Philosopher, Theologian
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Quote
“Can anything be stupider than that a man has the right to kill me because he lives on the other side of a river and his ruler has a quarrel with mine, though I have not quarrelled with him?”
Explanation
Pascal delivers a powerful critique of the absurdity of war, especially the way it often turns strangers into enemies purely based on geography and politics. He highlights the irrationality of the idea that a man may be justified in killing another simply because their leaders are at odds, despite neither individual having a personal grievance. Borders and rulers, not personal enmity, become the justification for violence—a situation Pascal portrays as both morally absurd and tragically common.
In Pensées, Pascal frequently reflects on the fragility and madness of human society, exposing how custom, power, and authority often override reason and justice. Here, he dismantles the notion that national conflict necessarily justifies individual aggression. His tone—rhetorical and ironic—forces the reader to confront how casually war can dehumanize and divide, turning ordinary men into instruments of destruction for causes they do not own.
In the modern context, Pascal’s words remain deeply relevant. Wars and political conflicts still ask individuals to harm others whom they do not know, on the basis of national allegiance. His quote challenges us to question the morality of such systems, the power of arbitrary divisions, and the ease with which societies accept violence under the guise of duty. True wisdom, Pascal implies, lies in recognizing shared humanity over manufactured enmity.
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