The foreboding composer penned his thoughts on his website The Red Hand Files, urging that mercy is key to a society remaining "functioning and tolerant."

"Mercy ultimately acknowledges that we are all imperfect and in doing so allows us the oxygen to breathe — to feel protected within a society, through our mutual fallibility." 

Cave wrote, adding that "Without mercy, a society loses its soul, and devours itself."

"Mercy allows us the ability to engage openly in free-ranging conversation — an expansion of collective discovery toward a common good. If mercy is our guide we have a safety net of mutual consideration, and we can, to quote Oscar Wilde, 'play gracefully with ideas.'" the somber songwriter continued.

"Yet mercy is not a given," Cave proclaimed, noting that "It is a value we must nurture and aspire to. Tolerance allows the spirit of enquiry the confidence to roam freely, to make mistakes, to self-correct, to be bold, to dare to doubt and in the process to chance upon new and more advanced ideas. Without mercy society grows inflexible, fearful, vindictive and humourless."

"As far as I can see, cancel culture is mercy's antithesis," Cave urged.

"Political correctness has grown to become the unhappiest religion in the world. Its once honourable attempt to reimagine our society in a more equitable way now embodies all the worst aspects that religion has to offer (and none of the beauty) — moral certainty and self-righteousness shorn even of the capacity for redemption. It has become quite literally, bad religion run amuck." Cave declared.