On the record
Force is never a reply to argument; and until argument itself seeks force as the expression of its principle, it is only by argument that it can justifiably be countered.
Said by
Harold J. Laski
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gutenberg.orgHarold J. Laski: “Force is never a reply to argument; and until argument itself seeks force as the expression of its principle, it is only…”
Editor's note · Context
He asserts that force cannot effectively counter argument, advocating for reasoned discourse instead.
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More from Harold J. Laski
Each age makes some idol in its own image and sacrifices upon its altar the freedom of those who refuse it worship.
Each age finds that the incidence of freedom is significant at some special point, and there, once more, the lesson of freedom has to be learned.
The essence of the persecuting position is always that the persecutor has hold of truth and that he would betray its service by allowing it to be questioned.
To deny novelty or grievance a right of expression is a certain, if, indeed, an ultimate, validation of the truth they contain.
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