"If a thing be really good, it can be shown to be such"
About this Quote
Godwin’s line is an Enlightenment mic drop disguised as plain talk: the radical claim that truth doesn’t need mystique, pedigree, or intimidation. “If a thing be really good” sets a high bar, then dares opponents to clear it. Goodness, for Godwin, isn’t a matter of taste or inherited authority; it’s something that can survive exposure. The verb “shown” matters more than “good.” He’s arguing for a culture where arguments must walk into daylight and hold up under scrutiny.
The intent is polemical. Godwin is writing in an age when church doctrine, monarchy, and social rank often operated like self-sealing systems: they were “good” because they were declared so by the right people. Godwin flips that logic. If it’s truly good, it should be demonstrable to ordinary reason, not protected by ceremony or fear. There’s an implicit suspicion here of anything that demands reverence without evidence. If you can’t show it, maybe it isn’t good; maybe it’s merely powerful.
Subtextually, it’s also a political ethic. Godwin’s broader project (especially in Political Justice) treats rational persuasion as the engine of social change and moral progress. The quote imagines a public sphere where legitimacy is earned through explanation, not enforced through coercion. It’s optimistic about human rationality, almost aggressively so: goodness is not only real, it’s legible.
Read today, it lands as both aspiration and challenge. In a media environment where “good” is often branded, algorithmically boosted, or tribalized, Godwin’s standard is bracing: show your work.
The intent is polemical. Godwin is writing in an age when church doctrine, monarchy, and social rank often operated like self-sealing systems: they were “good” because they were declared so by the right people. Godwin flips that logic. If it’s truly good, it should be demonstrable to ordinary reason, not protected by ceremony or fear. There’s an implicit suspicion here of anything that demands reverence without evidence. If you can’t show it, maybe it isn’t good; maybe it’s merely powerful.
Subtextually, it’s also a political ethic. Godwin’s broader project (especially in Political Justice) treats rational persuasion as the engine of social change and moral progress. The quote imagines a public sphere where legitimacy is earned through explanation, not enforced through coercion. It’s optimistic about human rationality, almost aggressively so: goodness is not only real, it’s legible.
Read today, it lands as both aspiration and challenge. In a media environment where “good” is often branded, algorithmically boosted, or tribalized, Godwin’s standard is bracing: show your work.
Quote Details
| Topic | Ethics & Morality |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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