"Bismarck was indeed the child of a different era from that of his erstwhile mentor. Bismarck belonged to the age of Realpolitik; Gerlach had been shaped by the period of Metternicht. The Metternicht system had reflected the eighteenth-century conception of the universe as a great clockwork of intricately meshing parts in which disruption of one part meant upsetting the interaction of others. Bismarck represented the new age in both science and politics. He perceived the universe not as a mechanical balance, but in its modern version - as consisting of particles in flux whose impact on each other creates what is perceived as reality. Its kindred biological philosophy was Darwin's theory of evolution based on the survival of the fittest."
(extracted from "Diplomacy" by Henry Kissinger p. 127)
Should we determine our politics based on our moral values or based on desirable outcomes? What is better suited for the short-term? Does it make a difference in the long run? Is there a right choice?
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