Lateral Thinking for Every Day

11

We need to listen to contrarian thinkers

Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice (1845–1927), the fifth Marquess of Lansdowne, was a distinguished British statesman who held senior positions in both Liberal Party and Conservative Party governments. He had served as the fifth Governor General of Canada, Viceroy of India, Secretary of State for War and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He was a pillar of the British aristocracy, steeped in the values of the establishment.

In November 1917 the First World War had raged for three savage years with millions of dead. Lansdowne, whose son had been killed in action, became convinced that the war was a threat to civilization itself and that the total destruction of Germany was not a worthwhile ...