In On Writing Well – his classic guide to writing nonfiction – William Zinsser quoted Abraham Lincoln on politics and morality. In his Second Inaugural Address, Lincoln said:
It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in wringing their break from the sweat of other men’s faces, but let us judge not, that we not be judged.
Zinsser approved of the quote. I suppose I can’t argue with Zinsser. He didn’t just write the book on writing, he also wrote the book on spring training.
But quotes like this make people nervous. Especially activists who center their politics on issues of identity. Many think that to separate politics from morality is to excuse the worst behavior. Their political dial holds no setting between moral politics and libertarian permissiveness, moral relativism, or apologism.
