Another man Quote by Alexander Berkman
“It is the system, rather than individuals, that is the source of pollution and degradation. My prison-house environment is but another manifestation of the Midas-hand, whose cursed touch turns everything to the brutal service of Mammon.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Prison and Capitalism, Alexander Berkman, 1910
Systems, not individuals, cause environmental harm; capitalism turns everything into a tool for profit, degrading nature.
In simple terms: Systems cause pollution; capitalism exploits nature.
Key Takeaway
Address systemic change over blaming individuals.
Themes
environment
capitalism
systemic oppression
pollution
economics
Mood
urgent
reflective
determined
Type
political
environmental
When to use this quote
- policy reform
- activism
- community organizing
- environmental education
Key Concepts
industrial exploitation
ethical economics
social justice
Questions to Reflect On
- What systemic reforms could reduce pollution?
- How can individuals influence larger systems?
A Different Perspective
Changing systems is complex and faces entrenched interests.
![“Accumulating knowledge is a form of avarice and lends itself to another version of the Midas story ...man [is] so avid for knowledge that everything that he touches turns to facts; his faith becomes theology; his love becomes lechery; his wisdom becomes science; pursuing meaning, he ignores truth.” quote by Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8e6/malcolm-muggeridge-2370_accumulating_accumulating-knowledge-is-a-form-of-avar_566709.jpg)
![“Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then [these?], any man might instantly use what another had invented; so that the inventor had no special advantage from his own invention. The patent system changed this…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/449/abraham-lincoln-88_adoption_next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in_1828.jpg)
