“There is a concept which corrupts and upsets all others. I refer not to Evil, whose limited realm is that of ethics; I refer to the infinite.”
Hay un concepto que es el corruptor y el desatinador de los otros. No hablo del mal cuyo limitado imperio es la ética; hablo del infinito.
"Avatars of the Tortoise"
Variant translations:
One concept corrupts and confuses the others. I am not speaking of the Evil whose limited sphere is ethics; I am speaking of the infinite.
There is a concept that is the corruptor and dazzler of others. I'm not talking about the evil whose limited empire is the ethic; I'm talking about infinity.
There is a concept that is the corrupter and destroyer of all others. I speak not of Evil, whose limited empire is that of ethics; I speak of the infinite.
Discussion (1932)
Original
Hay un concepto que es el corruptor y el desatinador de los otros. No hablo del mal cuyo limitado imperio es la ética; hablo del infinito.
Discussion (1932)
Help us to complete the source, original and additional information
Do you have more details about the quote "There is a concept which corrupts and upsets all others. I refer not to Evil, whose limited realm is that of ethics; I …" by Jorge Luis Borges?
Jorge Luis Borges 213
Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator… 1899–1986Related quotes
“I must look at the decision with reference to all the circumstances which led to it.”
Arthur Kekewich
(1832–1907) British judge
In re England (1895), L. R. 2 C. D. [1895], p. 109.
Pasquier Quesnel
(1634–1719) French theologian
44th Proposition, as translated by Mary Ilford in The Bourgeois: Catholicism vs. Capitalism in Eighteenth-Century France (1968), pp. 118-119
Karl Marx
(1818–1883) German philosopher, economist, sociologist, journalist and revolutionary socialist
Vol. I, Ch. 1, Section 3, pg. 81.
(Buch I) (1867)
“The great masquerade of evil has played havoc with all our ethical concepts.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
(1906–1945) German Lutheran pastor, theologian, dissident anti-Nazi
Source: Letters and Papers from Prison (1967; 1997), Who Stands Fast?, p. 4.
Context: The great masquerade of evil has played havoc with all our ethical concepts. For evil to appear disguised as light, charity, historical necessity or social justice is quite bewildering to anyone brought up on our traditional ethical concepts, while for the Christian who bases his life on the Bible, it merely confirms the fundamental wickedness of evil. The "reasonable" people's failure is obvious. With the best intentions and a naive lack of realism, they think that with a little reason they can bend back into position the framework that has got out of joint. In their lack of vision they want to do justice to all sides, and so the conflicting forces wear them down with nothing achieved. Disappointed by the world's unreasonableness, they see themselves condemned to ineffectiveness; they step aside in resignation or collapse before the stronger party.
Still more pathetic is the total collapse of moral fanaticism. Fanatics think that their single-minded principles qualify them to do battle with the powers of evil; but like a bull they rush at the red cloak instead of the person who is holding it; they exhaust themselves and are beaten. They get entangled in non-essentials and fall into the trap set by cleverer people.
Helen Frankenthaler
(1928–2011) American artist
1970s - 1980s, interview with Deborah Salomon in 'New York Times', 1989
Craig Ferguson
(1962) Scottish-born American television host, stand-up comedian, writer, actor, director, author, producer and voice a…
citation needed
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (2005–2014), Commonly repeated
Ernest Bevin
(1881–1951) British labour leader, politician, and statesman
Hansard, House of Commons, 5th series, vol. 423, col. 1827.
Speech in the House of Commons, 4 June 1946.
“Spinoza: the absolute philosopher, whose Ethics is the foremost book on concepts.”
Baruch Spinoza
(1632–1677) Dutch philosopher
Gilles Deleuze, Negotiations (cited in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy http://www.iep.utm.edu/d/deleuze.htm#SH3b)
A - F, Gilles Deleuze