Edmund Burke
There is a saying, usually attributed to Edmund Burke, that has been called “the commonest political quote you will find anywhere on the World Wide Web.”* It goes something like this:
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing
It goes “something like this” because the statement exists in many different forms:
- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing
- All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing
- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing
- All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing
- All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for a few good men to do nothing
- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for a few good men to do nothing
- All that is necessary for the evil to succeed is that good men do nothing
And so on.
It’s rather obviously an apocryphal quote. In fact, you can’t find anything of the sort by Edmund Burke, unless you count the quote: “When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle.”(Thoughts on the Cause of Present Discontents) You can find, interestingly enough, his thoughts on maxims in general:
It is an advantage to all narrow wisdom and narrow morals that their maxims have a plausible air; and, on a cursory view, appear equal to first principles. They are light and portable. They are as current as copper coin; and about as valuable. They serve equally the first capacities and the lowest; and they are, at least, as useful to the worst men as to the best. Of this stamp is the cant of not man, but measures; a sort of charm by which many people get loose from every honourable engagement.
(Edmund Burke, “Thoughts on the cause of the present discontents,” 1770. In The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, edited by Henry Froude, Oxford University Press, 1909, Volume 2, page 83, lines 7 to 16.)
The saying that evil men will triumph if good men do nothing is a good illustration of what Burke is saying. At first blush, it sounds reasonable enough. It’s easy to remember, at least in general terms. It’s general enough that it’s been used as a rallying cry for human movements of all stripes, for almost everyone considers themselves to be “good” and their opponents “evil.” It can be used to justify almost any action as long as the person doing it considers himself good.
I’d like to spend a few days talking about the concept, since I’ve heard it used to promote all sorts of political, social and military action on the part of Christians. Before I begin to analyze what’s being said, I’d like to hear your thoughts on the inactivity of good men and the triumph of evil.
Appendix: Martin Porter offered some helpful suggestions for avoiding bogus quotes:
Principle 1 (for readers)
Whenever you see a quotation given with an author but no source assume that it is probably bogus.
Principle 2 (for readers)
Whenever you see a quotation given with a full source assume that it is probably being misused, unless you find good evidence that the quoter has read it in the source.
Principle 3 (for quoters)
Whenever you make a quotation, give the exact source.
Principle 4 (for quoters)
Only quote from works that you have read.
It’s a little bit like Uzzah. Obviously a good man, he didn’t want the ark to fall to the ground. He reached out his hand to catch it and we all know what happened to him. Beware of doing good according to your own thought of what is good or needed.
Ooh… nice example, Vern.
you are either a “do-gooder” or a “do-nothing”
-Brian
Excellent article. As someone once said somewhere, “You really need to read Tim Archer’s blog.”
:)
I’ve been thinking about something similar recently and am going to blog about it soon.
We come up with lots of lists and acronyms to help us memorize things. These are especially useful in teaching children. The 5 acts of worship, the 4 types of prayer (ACTS), the 5 steps to salvation, CENI. These are all useful, but when you start to dig deeper you find that there is so much more than just the simple list. Stuff is left out and simplified such that the list or acronym can become limiting and even harmful.
I liken these to the “milk” that Paul said he wanted to get past and on the the meatier topics.
Thanks for your words.
Not only do nations and tribes always assume themselves to be “good” and their enemies to be “evil” but they always assume that their response is “good” or at least a better response than the “nothing” they are speaking against.
Grace and Peace,
Rex
Sort of reminds me of the saying ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ but here we are saying in a very human way (political, social and militarily) – ‘one man’s good is another man’s evil’. For instance there are some who think the the elected political leader of our nation acts in the very way Hitler did. And others that think the previous leader was a moral despot, full of greed and ambition for himself and his cronies. Yet both these sets people call on the name of our Lord.
In our recent past there were good people who called on the name of the Lord to defeat their enemy – their fellow Americans. Both prayed, both went to church, both carried arms to blow each other away in that bloody Civil War. I don’t know what the answer is – but I think we must be very cautious when treading in political waters or social issues. I don”t think we should join the political band wagon, but maybe be more of men of true action and pray for our leaders of our nation, be generous to the poor, be kind and gentle to the elderly, and show hospitality to our brothers, sisters and neighbors. Then no one can say we belong to this party or that – but more likely know in their hearts – we belong to that which is good. Social and political prejudices run deep and hard -but wasn’t it Christ who forgave the tax collector and the zealot. And he was neither. The good we do is not to carry the gun but to live in faith.
Ed brings up an excellent point, that is at the heart of most of my dissatisfaction with the way this concept is used. I believe that the quote, as formulated, does indeed accurately describe reality.
However, (and I’m certain Tim will talk about this later in the week), the quote is rarely used to criticize people who are, in fact, doing *nothing*. Literally, truly, nothing.
It is used to criticize people who aren’t following the quoter’s recommended course of action. Ask any pacifist how often they’ve been rhetorically bludgeoned with this quote. Anyone who thinks that pacifism (or even QUIETISM, for crying out loud) is doing nothing has a painfully shallow view of spiritual warfare.
Sometimes, doing nothing is precisely what is necessary for one person. But that’s completely different from the idea that all men and women made good by the blood of the cross and the power of the Spirit should choose to do nothing against the forces of evil.