The modern man is . . . certain about his essential virtue … - Reinhold Niebuhr

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The modern man is . . . certain about his essential virtue . . . [and since] he does not see that he has a freedom of spirit which transcends both nature and reason . . . [he] is unable to understand the real pathos of his defiance of nature's and reason's laws. He always imagines himself betrayed into this defiance either by some accidental corruption in his past history or by some sloth of reason. Hence he hopes for redemption, either through a program of social reorganization or by some scheme of education.

Reinhold Niebuhr

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About Reinhold Niebuhr

Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr (21 June 1892 – 1 June 1971) was an American Protestant theologian most famous for his efforts to relate the Christian faith to the realities of politics and diplomacy. He is a crucial contributor to modern thinking about what a just war would be.

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Native Name: Karl Paul Reinhold Niebuhr

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Additional quotes by Reinhold Niebuhr

To the end of history, social orders will probably destroy themselves in an effort to prove they are indestructible.

The moral achievement of statesmen must be judged in terms which take account of the limitations of human society which the statesman must, and the prophet need not, consider.

Great achievement! I learn how to be tolerant when I become the victim of somebody else's spiritual pride [1928].

The modern man is . . . certain about his essential virtue . . . [and since] he does not see that he has a freedom of spirit which transcends both na… - Reinhold Niebuhr

About Reinhold Niebuhr

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