Looks Quote by Allan Bloom
“Openness, as currently conceived, is a way of making surrender to whatever is most powerful, or worship of vulgar success, look principled.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Closing of the American Mind, Allan Bloom, 1987
Openness can become a façade for surrendering to dominant power or superficial success, masquerading as principle.
In simple terms: Openness may hide submission to power or shallow success.
Key Takeaway
Question the motives behind claimed openness.
Themes
openness
power
authenticity
principles
Mood
skeptical
critical
analytical
Type
advice
philosophical
When to use this quote
- political discourse
- corporate culture
- media analysis
- academic debate
Key Concepts
critical theory
social conformity
ideological critique
Questions to Reflect On
- What does genuine openness look like?
- How to distinguish authentic principle from superficial compliance?
A Different Perspective
Openness without critical scrutiny can enable manipulation.
![“[The Dalai Lama] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could, and still things get worse in Tibet." If you look at it from one point of view, as he himself says, his monastic position of forbearance and nonviolence hasn't reaped any…” quote by Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9fe/pico-iyer-1252_benefits_the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i_678.jpg)
