Rights are susceptible to subversion, as even granite is susceptible to erosion. My fifth Declaration posits how, in a cycle as old as tribalism, ignorance of the Other engenders fear; fear engenders hatred; hatred engenders violence; violence engenders further violence until the only “rights, ” the only law, are whatever is willed by the most powerful David Mitchell
About This Quote

The fifth Declaration of the Space University is a warning about the dangers of ignorance and how it can lead to violence. The first four Declarations cover the negative effect of fear and hatred, and the last one is about how violence can lead to more violence. All of these Declarations are focused on the lack of knowledge in tribalism and the human tendency to want to assert excessively and with no regard for others in order to assert our dominance in a world that we don’t understand.

Source: Cloud Atlas

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