"The sovereign state has in our times become a lethal danger to human civilization because technical developments enable it to employ an infinite number and variety of means of destruction"
- Christian Lous Lange
About this Quote
In this quote, Christian Lous Lange is expressing his belief that the contemporary principle of a sovereign state, or a nation with complete control over its own affairs, has become a hazardous danger to human civilization. He argues that this is due to the developments in innovation, which have provided these states the capability to use a limitless array of devastating weapons. Lange recommends that this endless power and access to harmful means positions a significant danger to the safety and wellness of humankind. He highlights the capacity for catastrophic repercussions if these weapons were to be utilized, highlighting the urgent need for responsible and ethical use of technology by sovereign states.
"While civilization has been improving our houses, it has not equally improved the men who are to inhabit them. It has created palaces, but it was not so easy to create noblemen and kings"
"Noble life demands a noble architecture for noble uses of noble men. Lack of culture means what it has always meant: ignoble civilization and therefore imminent downfall"
