Lewis Mumford Quotes
A man of courage never needs weapons, but he may need bail.
This is not the most common view military view which tends to place the senior officers out of harm’s way as they are “too valuable” to become casualties. Among modern armies, Israel stands out as having the same leadership doctrine as Genghis Khan. Those who attack Israel and lose, never have their commanders at the front of the battle. Israel does.
The free man, not controlled by others may see no rational reason to fight and therefore the refusal to war can be as courageous as fighting. This idea is still not accepted in many cultures and nations. The issue was argued mightily in the Vietnam War. Spinoza’s ideas were considered so radical and dangerous that he was the only man in history who was excommunicated by the Catholics, the Jews and the Muslims.
Goebel, a state senator, had campaigned against the railroad and corporate trusts. He was the first candidate in Kentucky to openly campaign for the Black vote and he, even though a Democrat, got it. The railroads and trusts campaigned hard for the incumbent. A very close election produced a crisis when the incumbent Republican Governor refused to give up the Statehouse and armed men converged on the capital. Somehow Goebel was shot and mortally wounded.
Lewis Mumford was an American historian, sociologist, philosopher of technology, and literary critic. Particularly noted for his study of cities and urban architecture, he had a broad career as a writer. Mumford made signal contributions to social philosophy, American literary and cultural history and the history of technology. Mumford was influenced by the work of Scottish theorist Sir Patrick Geddes and worked closely with his associate the British sociologist Victor Branford.
