Page "religion" Paragraph 204

Several of the replies to Mr. Toynbee, without conscious resort to the traditional terminology with regard to the permission of evil, succeed in restoring the actual context in which present moral and political decisions must be made, by distinguishing between choosing a great evil and choosing in danger of this evil.

`` It is worse for a nation to give in to evil than to run the risk of annihilation ''.

`` I am consciously prepared to run the continued risk of ' race suicide by accident ' rather than accept the alternative certainty of race slavery by design.

But I can only make this choice because I believe that the risk need not increase, but may be deliberately reduced '' ( by precautions against accidents or by limiting war??

) `` Quoting Mr. Kennan's phrase that anything would be better than a policy which led inevitably to nuclear war, he ( Toynbee ) says that anything is better than a policy which allows for the possibility of nuclear war ''.

`` If asked to choose between a terrible probability and a more terrible possibility, most men will choose the latter ''.

`` If Philip Toynbee is claiming that the choice lies between capitulation and the risk of nuclear war, I think he is right.

I do not accept that the choice is between capitulation and the certainty of nuclear war ''.

Even Professor Arnold Toynbee, agreeing with his son, does so in these terms: `` Compared to continuing to incur a constant risk of the destruction of the human race, all other evils are lesser evils.

Let us therefore put first things first, and make sure of preserving the human race at whatever the temporary price may be ''.