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2008. 11. 23. 03:06

Here is a quotation from Lincoln.

"I would save the Union. I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution. The sooner the national authority can be restored; the nearer the Union will be "the Union as it was." If there be those who would not save the Union, unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them. If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors; and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views."

According to this, it is obvious he didn't take the ethical position that slavery must be abolished. Though he was most responsible for the abolition of slavery by issuing the Emancipation Declaration as president and he was a well-educated U.S. lawyer of 19th century, he also seemed to be in the dark about modern values like racial equality or gender equality.

As a matter of fact, racial equality was dramatically won during the Civil War and gender equality was strongly enhanced during the World Wars. It thus is not too much to say that the history of the progress of mankind is that of wars. If our genes order us to make progress, shall we be doomed to again? In terms of skepticism, ethics or morality is only a forced matrix for the weak and is ex ante choices or ex post measures strategically decided by the strong.

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