“All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom. It is no mere chance that our older universities developed from clerical schools. Both churches and universities — insofar as they live up to their true function — serve the ennoblement of the individual. They seek to fulfill this great task by spreading moral and cultural understanding, renouncing the use of brute force.Re-ed Assignment:
“The essential unity of ecclesiastical and secular institutions was lost during the 19th century, to the point of senseless hostility. Yet there was never any doubt as to the striving for culture. No one doubted the sacredness of the goal. It was the approach that was disputed.”*
1. Journal your thoughts about the above quote by Albert Einstein.---------------------------------------/
2. Write a pro and con assessment of why coerced re-education does or does not constitute a form of “brute force.”
3. Explain “by what authority” a person or group can direct another to follow a directive that is contrary to the conscience of that other person.
4. Explain if and how coercion of conscience or thought serves “the ennoblement of the individual.”
* "Moral Decay" (1937); Later published in Out of My Later Years (1950)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein
