A Common Humanity Quotes

“Philosophy is at its heart always a meta-activity, stepping back to think about thinking. It thinks not only about what our obligations are, but also about the concept of obligation; not only about what is just, but also about the concept of justice; not only about what it is rational to do or believe, but also about the concept of the rational. This makes it difficult for some people to find their feet with philosophy, and it makes them impatient of it. To them, I repeat Wittgenstein’s advice concerning how philosophers should greet one another. He said they should say, ‘Take your time.”
― Raimond Gaita, A Common Humanity: Thinking about Love and Truth and Justice

“I think, that the moral and legal structure of the concept of genocide has not yet been settled in ways that are true to what we want it to capture.”
― Raimond Gaita, A Common Humanity: Thinking about Love and Truth and Justice

“either we hold on to the possibility of moral judgement of their terrible deeds and then we must blame them; or we refuse to blame and must then relinquish the possibility of moral judgement.”
― Raimond Gaita, A Common Humanity: Thinking about Love and Truth and Justice

“There but for the grace of God go I’,”
― Raimond Gaita, A Common Humanity: Thinking about Love and Truth and Justice