Living In The Abstract

When we don't really have to experience the consequences of our reasoning, we can justify some pretty absurd things. One memorable scene of All Quiet On The Western Front really highlighted this, where one of the soldiers who had fought the front line sat around as people who had experience of what the war actually was like talked tactics.

But this kind of reasoning happens all the time, the failure to empathise with the parties involved means that we are quick to judgement and condemnation; and on little more than the basis of moral disagreement. Voltaire is said to had opined “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” And what's more absurd than seeing people as mere pawns to achieve ideological ends?