It is odd that neither the Church nor modern public opinion condemns petting, provided it stops short at a certain point. At what point sin begins is a matter as to which casuists differ. One eminently orthodox Catholic divine laid it down that a confessor may fondle a nun's breasts, provided he does it without evil intent. But I doubt whether modern authorities would agree with him on this point.
Interpretation
The quote critiques the ambiguous moral boundaries surrounding physical affection and sin within religious and societal contexts.
Bertrand Russell's quote examines the complexity of moral judgments regarding physical affection, particularly in the context of religious authority. He highlights the contradictions between religious teachings and modern societal views on what constitutes appropriate behavior, questioning the clarity with which sin is defined and how varying interpretations can lead to significant moral dilemmas. The mention of a Catholic divine's stance reflects the often contentious relationship between established religious doctrines and contemporary societal values on intimacy and consent.
In practice
During a discussion on ethics in a philosophy class, this quote could be used to illustrate the complexities of moral judgments.
St. Paul introduced an entirely novel view of marriage, that it existed primarily to prevent the sin of fornication. It is just as if one were to maintain that the sole reason for baking bread is to prevent people from stealing cake.
Freedom comes only to those who no longer ask of life that it shall yield them any of those personal goods that are subject to the mutations of time.
Of these austerer virtues the love of truth is the chief, and in mathematics, more than elsewhere, the love of truth may find encouragement for waning faith. Every great study is not only an end in itself, but also a means of creating and sustaining a lofty habit of mind; and this purpose should be kept always in view throughout the teaching and learning of mathematics.
At all times, except when a monarch could enforce his will, war has been facilitated by the fact that vigorous males, confident of victory, enjoyed it, while their females admired them for their prowess.
Moreover, the attitude that one ought to believe such and such a proposition, independently of the question whether there is evidence in its favor, is an attitude which produces hostility to evidence and causes us to close our minds to every fact that does not suit our prejudices.
Extreme hopes are born from extreme misery.
What does God do all day long? He gives birth. From the beginning of eternity, God lies on a maternity bed giving birth to all. God is creating this whole universe full and entire in this present moment.
No, I don’t wish I knew Heaven was like the picture in my Great Divorce, because, if we knew that, we should know it was no better. The good things even of this world are far too good ever to be reached by imagination. Even the common orange, you know: no one could have imagined it before he tasted it. How much less Heaven.
Tolerance always has limits - it cannot tolerate what is itself actively intolerant.
For axioms in philosophy are not axioms until they are proved upon our pulses.
Whatever is, is in its causes just.
Sense your presence, the naked, unveiled, unclothed beingness. It is untouched by young or old, rich or poor, good or bad, or any other attributes.
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