Charlie Moran, the old National League baseball umpire, always regarded himself and his decisions highly. He liked to make it clear to the ballplayers who was boss behind the plate. One day, in a very close play at home, the runner and the catcher eagerly awaited Charlie's decision. The umpire hesitated, and the catcher shouted, "Well, is he safe or is he out?" Moran pulled himself up to his full height, cleared his throat, and said to the catcher, "Mister, until I calls it, it ain't nothin' at all!"

Of all the illusions nursed by we modern people, none is more pathetic or dangerous than the illusion of neutrality. Neutrality is that notion that human beings can detach themselves from all crucial choices and decisions in life. Social neutrality straddles the fence of public opinion and refu…