Hiroshima quote
I came across a very interesting article on Hiroshima in today's Bahrain Tribune. The article, as such, was taken from the Guardian and carried some very thought provoking views. It was written by Geoffrey Wheatcroft and carries some interesting quotes by Monsignor Ronald Knox, a conservative English catholic, and Dwight MacDonald, an American radical atheist.
Let me quote this little piece from the article that explains what Knox thought about the Hiroshima bombing:
An outrage had been committed in human and divine terms, Knox thought. Hiroshima was an assault on faith, because the splitting of the atom itself meant "an indeterminate element in the heart of things"; on hope, because "the possibilities of evil are increased by an increase in the possibilities of destruction"; and on charity, because - this answers those who still defend the bombing of Hiroshima - "men fighting for a good case have taken, at one particular moment of decision, the easier, not the nobler path."
MacDonald, on the other hand, was quite unequivocal in his condemnation of the bombing.
"This atrocious action places 'us', the defenders of civilisation, on a moral level with 'them', the beasts of Maidanek. And 'we', the American people, are just as much and as little responsible for this horror as 'they', the German people."
You can read the full article by clicking http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1542928,00.html
Let me quote this little piece from the article that explains what Knox thought about the Hiroshima bombing:
An outrage had been committed in human and divine terms, Knox thought. Hiroshima was an assault on faith, because the splitting of the atom itself meant "an indeterminate element in the heart of things"; on hope, because "the possibilities of evil are increased by an increase in the possibilities of destruction"; and on charity, because - this answers those who still defend the bombing of Hiroshima - "men fighting for a good case have taken, at one particular moment of decision, the easier, not the nobler path."
MacDonald, on the other hand, was quite unequivocal in his condemnation of the bombing.
"This atrocious action places 'us', the defenders of civilisation, on a moral level with 'them', the beasts of Maidanek. And 'we', the American people, are just as much and as little responsible for this horror as 'they', the German people."
You can read the full article by clicking http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1542928,00.html
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