"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." --Edmund Burke
2007-12-11 22:07:36 · 9 answers · asked by Mel 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
This poem by Martin Niemöller explains it better than I ever could (The English translation follows)
Als die Nazis die Kommunisten holten,
habe ich geschwiegen;
ich war ja kein Kommunist.
Als sie die Sozialdemokraten einsperrten,
habe ich geschwiegen;
ich war ja kein Sozialdemokrat.
Als sie die Gewerkschafter holten,
habe ich nicht protestiert;
ich war ja kein Gewerkschafter.
Als sie die Juden holten,
habe ich geschwiegen;
ich war ja kein Jude.
Als sie mich holten,
gab es keinen mehr, der protestieren konnte
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
The evil of Nazism almost triumphed because good people did nothing at first.
2007-12-11 22:22:21 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mel,
This quote could be used to look at many situations in history. IE. Had the U.S. not stepped in to WWII to help defeat Hitler, his evil would have prevailed.
To me it says that if we as a society do nothing to help those that need help, then evil wins. If you see some one trying to rip another person off, step in
Do for other's what you would hope others would do for you if you were in a rough situation. If we all stand back and say it's not our problem, what kind of world would we live in. And what would that say about the people of this world.
Happy Holidays
2007-12-11 22:23:34 · answer #2 · answered by gin_in_mi 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Seems clear enough (though Burke's wording was a bit different from yours) not to require interpretation for English-speaking folk.
2007-12-12 01:18:10 · answer #3 · answered by Christopher F 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It means that people have a responsibility to intervene and stop the evil acts of others. To not do so insures that the evil will prevail.
2007-12-12 00:35:57 · answer #4 · answered by jehen 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is an indictment on those who live comfortably without care for the less fortunate like those who think:
"I've got mine's, now you go get yours and I don't care if you do"
It is a call to action by those who can.
Good luck
2007-12-11 22:12:17 · answer #5 · answered by Pi 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It gives motivation to fight against evil
2007-12-11 22:19:59 · answer #6 · answered by Kehgohar R 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there is always good and evil in every act we do.
even the best intentions cant justify evil acts.
2007-12-12 00:55:22 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
good men are simply not part of the evil's success..
2007-12-11 22:19:50 · answer #8 · answered by riri 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence.
-Mahatma Gandhi.
2007-12-11 22:36:14 · answer #9 · answered by World Vision 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋