"If nothing is to be done in the given situation, he must invent plausible reasons for doing nothing; and if something must be done, he must suggest the something. The unpardonable sin is to propose nothing, when action is imperative"
About this Quote
Merriam turns bureaucratic paralysis into a moral failure, and he does it with the brisk clarity of someone who has watched committees hide behind procedure. The line is structured like a field manual for responsibility: if no action is possible, at least build an honest rationale; if action is required, supply a concrete course. What he won’t tolerate is the hollow performance of deliberation that produces neither justification nor direction. That’s the “unpardonable sin” here: not caution, not restraint, but evasion.
The subtext is a critique of educated passivity. As an educator and political scientist writing in an era when American governance was professionalizing, Merriam understood how expertise can become a costume for indecision. “Invent plausible reasons” isn’t praise of spin so much as an indictment of how easily intelligent people can launder inaction into prudence. He’s naming a familiar tactic: when you can’t solve the problem, you can at least sound like you’ve managed it.
The context matters because “action” in Merriam’s world isn’t romantic heroism; it’s policy, administration, civic duty. He’s addressing the class of people whose job is to make the machinery move - teachers, officials, planners, reformers - and reminding them that neutrality is itself a choice with consequences. The rhetoric works because it narrows the escape hatches: either you explain why you can’t act, or you propose how to act. Silence and vagueness are not humility; they’re abdication.
The subtext is a critique of educated passivity. As an educator and political scientist writing in an era when American governance was professionalizing, Merriam understood how expertise can become a costume for indecision. “Invent plausible reasons” isn’t praise of spin so much as an indictment of how easily intelligent people can launder inaction into prudence. He’s naming a familiar tactic: when you can’t solve the problem, you can at least sound like you’ve managed it.
The context matters because “action” in Merriam’s world isn’t romantic heroism; it’s policy, administration, civic duty. He’s addressing the class of people whose job is to make the machinery move - teachers, officials, planners, reformers - and reminding them that neutrality is itself a choice with consequences. The rhetoric works because it narrows the escape hatches: either you explain why you can’t act, or you propose how to act. Silence and vagueness are not humility; they’re abdication.
Quote Details
| Topic | Decision-Making |
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