---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So much of the language that surrounds us…"
description: "\"So much of the language that surrounds us - from things like economics, management theory, and the algorithms built into computer systems - appears to ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/adam-curtis-13463_computers_so-much-of-the-language-that-surrounds-u_210222.jpg"
---

#  So much of the language that surrounds us - from things…

![“So much of the language that surrounds us - from things like economics, management theory, and the algorithms built into computer systems - appears to be objective and neutral. But in fact, it is loaded with powerful, and very debatable, political assumptions about how society should work and what…” quote by Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/adam-curtis-13463_computers_so-much-of-the-language-that-surrounds-u_210222.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/adam-curtis-13463_computers_so-much-of-the-language-that-surrounds-u_210222.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/adam-curtis-13463_computers_so-much-of-the-language-that-surrounds-u_210222.jpg)

> “So much of the language that surrounds us - from things like economics, management theory, and the algorithms built into computer systems - appears to be objective and neutral. But in fact, it is loaded with powerful, and very debatable, political assumptions about how society should work and what human beings are really like.”

[Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Language in fields like economics and tech pretends to be neutral but actually embeds political assumptions about society and human nature.

**In simple terms:** Technical jargon hides political bias.

Key Takeaway

Critically examine language for hidden agendas.

Themes

language technology politics bias

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

critical educational

When to use this quote

- policy analysis
- media literacy
- software design
- academic research

Key Concepts

ideology framing power structures

Questions to Reflect On

- What assumptions are embedded in everyday terms?
- How can we reveal hidden biases?

A Different Perspective

Neutrality claims can be misleading.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [We believe that when we choose anything, judge a stranger and even fall in love, we understand the principal factors that influenced us. Very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/we-believe-that-when-we-choose-anything-judge-a-stranger-and-even/)

[Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/)

> [That everyone may receive at least a moderate education appears to be an objective of vital importance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/that-everyone-may-receive-at-least-a-moderate-education-appears-to-be/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [People today sometimes get uncomfortable with empirical claims that seem to clash with their political assumptions, often because they haven't given much thought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/people-today-sometimes-get-uncomfortable-with-empirical-claims-that/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Political assumptions can remain constant for long periods and then change very quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-weisberg/political-assumptions-can-remain-constant-for-long-periods-and-then/)

[Jacob Weisberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-weisberg/)

> [People assume thoughts and processes about you that may have nothing to do with you whatsoever, but they make political assumptions and assertions about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amma-asante/people-assume-thoughts-and-processes-about-you-that-may-have-nothing/)

[Amma Asante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amma-asante/)

> [“a select group of high-performing companies have managed to close the strategy-to-performance gap through better planning and execution. These companies—Barclays, Cisco Systems, Dow Chemical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mankins/a-select-group-of-high-performing-companies-have-managed-to-close-the/)

[Michael C. Mankins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mankins/)

> [Having an economy that works for the 99% is achievable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winnie-byanyima/having-an-economy-that-works-for-the-99-is-achievable/)

[Winnie Byanyima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winnie-byanyima/)

> [Politics is about power. It is about the power of the state. It is about the power of the state as applied to individuals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rudd/politics-is-about-power-it-is-about-the-power-of-the-state-it-is/)

[Kevin Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rudd/)

> [“Everything economic science posits as given, that is, the range of dispositions of the economic agent which ground the illusion of the ahistorical universality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bourdieu/everything-economic-science-posits-as-given-that-is-the-range-of/)

[Pierre Bourdieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bourdieu/)

> [“The free-market economy and globalisation process have brought about, in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century, a sharp and sudden rise in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaakov-malkin/the-free-market-economy-and-globalisation-process-have-brought-about/)

Yaakov Malkin

> [Our engagement through international economics, trade, these trade agreements, is vital and is linked to our national security. This is a lesson we learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-boustany/our-engagement-through-international-economics-trade-these-trade/)

[Charles Boustany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-boustany/)

> [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/)

[Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/)

> [Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/our-biggest-challenge-is-to-eliminate-the-popular-perception-that/)

[Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/)

> [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/)

[Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/)

> [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

## More by Adam Curtis

> [We live in a time when all elites, whether on the left or the right, believe in rigid rules that say there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/we-live-in-a-time-when-all-elites-whether-on-the-left-or-the-right/)

[Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

> [Fred Hoyle was one of the first scientists to become famous on television and radio. It was because he told a dramatic story about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/fred-hoyle-was-one-of-the-first-scientists-to-become-famous-on/)

[Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

> [In the battle for Kobane on the Syrian border, everyone talks about the enemy - IS - and the frightening ideas that drive them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/in-the-battle-for-kobane-on-the-syrian-border-everyone-talks-about/)

[Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

> [I have a suspicion that the politicians' revival of the old behaviourist ideas and techniques will be helped and reinforced by a powerful ally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/i-have-a-suspicion-that-the-politicians-revival-of-the-old/)

[Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

> [I have always wanted to make a series of films which would be like an 'emotional history' that conveys what it feels like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/i-have-always-wanted-to-make-a-series-of-films-which-would-be-like-an/)

[Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

> [BP is accused of destroying the wildlife and coastline of America, but if you look back into history, you find that BP did something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/bp-is-accused-of-destroying-the-wildlife-and-coastline-of-america-but/)

[Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

> [In many cruise ships, there are hundreds of workers from some of the poorest countries on earth who are paid minute amounts of actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/in-many-cruise-ships-there-are-hundreds-of-workers-from-some-of-the/)

[Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

> [Journalists, whose job is to pull back and tell dramatic stories that bring power into focus, find it impossible because things like economic theory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/journalists-whose-job-is-to-pull-back-and-tell-dramatic-stories-that/)

[Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

> [There is a lurking sense that there is a kind of seedy corruption underlying a lot of public life today. But while journalism does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/there-is-a-lurking-sense-that-there-is-a-kind-of-seedy-corruption/)

[Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

> [Tyler Kent was a horrible man. He was a rabid anti-communist who believed that the Jews had been behind the Russian Revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/tyler-kent-was-a-horrible-man-he-was-a-rabid-anti-communist-who/)

[Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

> [Ever since the economic crisis in 2008, millions of people have accepted cuts in all sorts of things - from real wages and living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/ever-since-the-economic-crisis-in-2008-millions-of-people-have/)

[Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

> [James Goldsmith is important because he used the power of the markets to break up the cosy patrician elite that ran Britain and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/james-goldsmith-is-important-because-he-used-the-power-of-the-markets/)

[Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

> [Of course there are many factors that led to the Iranian revolution, but back in 1951, the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company - which would later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/of-course-there-are-many-factors-that-led-to-the-iranian-revolution/)

[Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

> [At its heart, 'South Park' has a touching faith in human beings: that despite their absurdities and flaws, people have the capacity to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/at-its-heart-south-park-has-a-touching-faith-in-human-beings-that/)

[Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

> [Both individuals and societies tell themselves stories to simplify and make sense of the messy chaos of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/both-individuals-and-societies-tell-themselves-stories-to-simplify/)

[Adam Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

[Explore all 50 Adam Curtis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/)

## More Computers quotes

> [I don't understand why we're all connected wirelessly via a little machine that goes in our pocket, to everybody in the world, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-don-t-understand-why-we-re-all-connected-wirelessly-via-a-little/)

[Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/)

> [“Probably it goes without saying, but time machine guys don't get a lot of action. Had a one night stand with something cute a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/probably-it-goes-without-saying-but-time-machine-guys-don-t-get-a-lot/)

[Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/)

> [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Note found in the patron suggestion box: "You have SIGNS up near the computers that say BE QUIET, but people don't be quiet. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-sheridan/note-found-in-the-patron-suggestion-box-you-have-signs-up-near-the/)

[Gina Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-sheridan/)

> [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/)

[Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/)

> [The corporate state is an immensely powerful machine, ordered, legalistic, rational, yet utterly out of human control, wholly and perfectly indifferent to any human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/the-corporate-state-is-an-immensely-powerful-machine-ordered/)

[Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/)

> [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/)

Jen-Hsun Huang

> [The popular mind often pictures gigantic flying machines speeding across the Atlantic carrying innumerable passengers in a way analogous to our modern steam ships.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-pickering/the-popular-mind-often-pictures-gigantic-flying-machines-speeding/)

William Henry Pickering

> [“Alan Turing proposed the Turing Test: a computer is intelligent if you can't tell it from a human when you talk with it. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cjs-hayward/alan-turing-proposed-the-turing-test-a-computer-is-intelligent-if-you/)

[CJS Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cjs-hayward/)

> [Computers can be taught that certain tune or certain chords changes will sound pleasant together, but I don't think it's going to reach a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonobo/computers-can-be-taught-that-certain-tune-or-certain-chords-changes/)

[Bonobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonobo/)

> [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/)

[Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/)

> [“According to this model, human beings are, at least in one aspect, sensation-receiving machines; and although our receptory apparatus is competent to select and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cruce-stark/according-to-this-model-human-beings-are-at-least-in-one-aspect/)

Cruce Stark

> [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/)

[Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/)

[Browse all 9,389 Computers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "So much of the language that surrounds us - from things like economics, management theory, and the algorithms built into computer systems - appears to be objective and neutral. But in fact, it is loaded with powerful, and very debatable, political assumptions about how society should work and what human beings are really like.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Adam Curtis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/so-much-of-the-language-that-surrounds-us-from-things-like-economics/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Computers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/so-much-of-the-language-that-surrounds-us-from-things-like-economics/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/adam-curtis-13463_computers_so-much-of-the-language-that-surrounds-u_210222.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/adam-curtis-13463_computers_so-much-of-the-language-that-surrounds-u_210222.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/adam-curtis-13463_computers_so-much-of-the-language-that-surrounds-u_210222.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“So much of the language that surrounds us - from things like economics, management theory, and the…” — Adam Curtis",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Adam Curtis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-curtis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "So much of the language that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/so-much-of-the-language-that-surrounds-us-from-things-like-economics/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-curtis/so-much-of-the-language-that-surrounds-us-from-things-like-economics/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
