Why the Road to Hell Is Paved with Good Intentions
Are you a good person if you have good intentions? Many seem to think so, but there are a lot of problems with this belief. In fact, it’s the source of much of the evil in the world. Dennis Prager explains.
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Script:
Have you heard the expression, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”?
Well, it’s true—and it helps explain why there is so much evil in the world.
Take the 20th century, the bloodiest century on record, in which about a hundred million people—all noncombatants—were murdered by despotic regimes, nearly all of them communist. Many of the people who supported communism—both outside and inside communist countries—thought they were doing good. They were sure they had good intentions. Many of them were nice people—doting parents, considerate neighbors, courteous to strangers.
The Soviet Communist Party killed 20 to 40 million people; the Cambodian communist government massacred about a quarter of the Cambodian population; the Chinese communist regime killed more than 60 million of its own people—the roads to all these hells were paved by many people who had (or believed they had) good intentions.
Were it not for well-intentioned people who believed in communism, the truly evil people who implemented these genocides might not have come to power. To cite but one example, it was American and British men and women, many with good intentions, who delivered to the Soviet mass murderer, Josef Stalin, the secrets to making an atom bomb. They, too, were probably nice people.
Of course, there is no large-scale genocidal movement today in America. But the road to lesser hells in this country is also paved by many nice people who believe they have good intentions.
Many of the teachers who bring up topics that rob young children of their sexual innocence are motivated by good intentions. Most of the Americans who vote for politicians who seek to defund the police—a guaranteed recipe for increased murder, rape, and other violent acts—think they have good intentions. So, too, those who seek the elimination of “hate speech” have good intentions, even though, in reality, they constitute the first serious threat to free speech in American history.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions because most people who support bad causes, and even many who commit evil, believe they are motivated by good intentions.
Their thinking goes like this: I mean well, therefore I do good. Therefore I am good. And if you oppose me, you do not mean well, and cannot be good.
So, given that good intentions are so often morally worthless, what are we to do if we wish to increase goodness in society? Or, to pose the question another way, if good intentions pave the road to a terrible world, with what should we pave the road to a beautiful world?
The answer is wisdom, understanding as much about life as possible, especially the consequences of any position you hold. Wisdom is asking what does good, not what is well intentioned.
Good intentions—and even being a nice person—without wisdom leads to evil.
For the full script, visit: https://www.prageru.com/video/why-the-road-to-hell-is-paved-with-good-intentions
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no mention of Israel eh? curious
CHINA STILL KILLING, PUTIN STILL KILLING
ironic as most Christians would say he is currently on a road to hell
"And most importantly the bible" pure, unmitigated BS.
There is no heaven or hell but only sheol in Old Testament.
Oh, look another not so subtle fascist propaganda channel desguised as US-centric education. Note how they didn't bring up the holocaust and the nazi-regime that nearly whipped out minorities throughout Europe and which, along with USA invasions, sieges and never-ending wars, are the main contributors to why the 20th century was the deadliest on record.
The comment section itself is full of wisdom. 😊 Thanks YouTube and PragerU.
Many Nazis and Bolsheviks were probably well meaning folks who wanted genuine change for society. However, that naivete and innocence was exploited by the most cunning among them, therefore allowing guys like Hitler and Stalin to rise to the top. Nothing wrong in tempering your warm fuzzy altruism with the cold sober reality of human experience and knowledge of human nature. Sadly, that is missing in today's teachers who have lived a sheltered comfortable life and went straight to teaching after college altogether skipping the school of life and have nothing practical to teach students and dig straight into theories they've read in a book. Kind of the blind leading the blind.
I always thought this saying means – your intentions are useless – without actions.
and yet conservatism has denied people health care, education, stopped homeless people from getting affordable housing and encouraged mass exploitation of workers, they really screwed this one up.
Scores 100 percent…masterpiece of brevity…!
does prager u mean well and good, but its leading us to hell?
wisdom is only power when we use it. And Power is only good when it results good. the foolisht guy can lend a hand. but the wisest can destroy the whole world
Good intentions are subjective… wisdom is objective. Very insightful video. Thank you PU.
I think a lot of these people conflate knowledge for wisdom too.
I would have liked to see how America was formed with good intentions like freedom and liberty, but then Native American genocide and African slavery got in the way. So easy to point the fingers at others, isn't it?😊
Don't be misled!! THERE ARE NO GOOD PEOPLE! All fall short of the Glory of Almighty Father in heaven and none are GOOD! Why does bad things happen to "good" people? That's the wrong question to ask; Why does good things happen to evil people, is the question you need to ask! God let's the rain fall on both the righteous and the unrighteous because the Almighty Lord Jesus Christ paid for the sins of those that believe in HIM and HIS Gospel. If he wouldn't have died for us, GOD would make us us pay in HELL forever after committing just 1 sin… Fact. May God bless you all.
When the hell was wisdom ever taught in schools in America in the 20th century? I was raised and educated then and don't remember it being taught. And how do you teach wisdom anyway?
This is a toxic message! It would be quicker AND more accurate to state that good intentions are not enough.
Blaming good intentions undermines every pep talk about the growth mindset, giving 110%, following through, going the extra mile, and stepping up one's game. This is a convenient excuse to justify disengagement.
Blaming good intentions implies that the solution is to stop caring. Why knock yourself out to produce lousy results when you can sit back, relax, and get the same lousy results with FAR less effort? The latter is SO much more efficient!
If good intentions are to be avoided, then how did the moon landing happen? How do medical discoveries happen? How do technological advancements happen? Is every human accomplishment the result of pure dumb luck? Or is every human accomplishment the result of The Force from the Star Wars universe?
Good intentions are NOT the problem. Instead, the problem is not thinking things through, poor planning, poor execution, lack of know-how, lack of resources, not getting certain details parsed just right, and/or an inability to get all the stars and planets properly aligned.
the great irony about all of this is that Dennis, with all the heinous causes he fights for, probably has good intensions
PragerU comment section is often a battlefied, which is expected since "no one is more hated than he who speaks the truth"
The Bible is a prime example of The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions.
I don't fault policy makers for faulty policies. I blame them for not auditing the results of these policies. For example, if I try to create jobs with a massive jobs program, first of all, verify that the program works. Secondly, make adjustments if the program doesn't work. After the lockdowns were tried, we should have verified that they worked. If they didn't work these lockdowns should have ended. Mr. Prager, are you familiar with "Bonhoeffer’s Theory of Stupidity"? If not, I suggest you read this. I also think that schools should teach critical thinking. Show people how to think, not what to think.
What does good: telling children that how they feel or who they love does NOT change their value.
Also, you think only people who agree with you are wise, and you have everything figured out. That is the opposite of being wise. You think you have nothing left to learn.
Also, you know there’s incest and murder of children in the Bible and cross dressing in Shakesphere and rape in Greek texts, yet you want to teach that to children? You sound like more of a groomer.
I don't disagree with his overall point, his examples strike me as propaganda
Just another way of saying 'The ends do not justify the means.'
Except there is a genocide in America. And around the world.
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Planned Parenthood is guilty.
Wisdom is Action… Forest Gump said it when he said "stupid is as stupid does". You can't teach wisdom or stupidity, Understanding or Ignorance, for these are acquired through knowledge or lack thereof.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. (James 4:8)
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13)
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)
The road to a flourishing capitalist country is paved with repression, ignorance and fear.
The Road To Heaven is also paved with good intentions. 1:24 Which had nothing to do with any atrocities attributed to him. 1:48 Because it is a good thing they learn about it as soon as possible. 1:57 maybe they wouldn't have to be defunded if they weren't made up of bloodthirsty cowboys. 2:10 You mean, they stop people from encouraging others to do evil things, like go on a killing spree to stop the cultural marxist-jewish-feminist cabal out to take over the world.
"most importantly the Bible." No.
I think the police canon is a much better source of wisdom, so how about we mandate that be taught instead.
Or the vedas, those have wisdom in them.
But you'd never allow such because it's not if your faith. So stop trying to force your faith onto others.
Bible is for parents or church to teach their kids. Not the government.
So you mean Glen Beck right? I'm pretty sure you mean Glen Beck.
Wisdom might bring about better consequences in this world physically but spiritually only repentance and faith in Christ will bring a restored relationship with God and eternal life with him. Good intentions work in the physical world as much as wisdom and good works work in the spiritual world.
God Bless the truth tellers <3
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"Be thankful lots of good people do lots of good things for you everyday. Make sure you tell them thank you."
I work in the technology field, and am continuously confronted with people who insist on doing things their way, but never follow up to see if they were right or not. Trusting science includes reviewing the results and figuring out where you went wrong.
I'm a Traditionalist/Presbyterian that lost his family due to unemployability in progressive-leftist high schools, as I am a military history physics teacher immediately perceived to support the Orange Man. I'm a performer since kindergarten that won a National Championship and competed in a Worlds at 44. Unemployable as a physics teacher during a national shortage. I have taught two years in a failing urban district and know things no one EVER talks about. I could change America doing a Prager U video.
Great lecture. Well said by Dennis. The next generation around my area is being taught by iPhone13…their parents must be busy or lazy ? People…
Everyone has good intentions in their view
Wisdom may simply just mean: be good to one another, be good to your neighbor, dont murder and dont harm others when reaching your goals .what do yall think