Adult education Quote by Anonymous
““Suppose it becomes the acknowledged purpose of inventors and engineers, observed Aldous Huxley, to provide ordinary people with the means of 'doing profitable and intrinsically significant work, of helping men and women to achieve independence from bosses, so that they may become their own employers, or members of a self-governing, co-operative group working for subsistence and a local market ... this differently orientated technological progress (would result in) a progressive decentralisation of population, of accessibility of land, of ownership of the means of production, of political and economic power'. Other advantages, said Huxley, would be 'a more humanly satisfying life for more people, a greater measure of genuine self-governing democracy and a blessed freedom from the silly or pernicious adult education provided by the mass producers of consumer goods through the medium of advertisements'.””
About This Quote
Huxley envisions technology as a tool for personal autonomy, enabling people to own their labor and governance, thereby decentralizing economic and political power.
In simple terms: Tech can empower individuals and democratize production.
Key Takeaway
Technology should serve human freedom.
Themes
autonomy
decentralization
democratization
labor
self‑governance
economic power
Mood
optimistic
visionary
critical
Type
philosophical
sociopolitical
speculative
When to use this quote
- starting a small business
- forming a worker co‑op
- remote freelance work
- community land trusts
- local food cooperatives
Key Concepts
technology as enabler
self‑employment
co‑operatives
political decentralization
Practical Applications
- design platforms for independent creators
- policy frameworks for cooperative ownership
Questions to Reflect On
- How can modern tech reduce dependence on hierarchical employers?
- What safeguards prevent new forms of centralized control?
![“[Huxley's Perennial Philosophy is concerned with] the need to love the earth and respect nature instead of following the example of those who 'chopped down vast forests to provide the newsprint demanded by that universal literacy which was to make the world safe for intelligence and democracy, and…” quote by Nicholas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/008/nicholas-murray-47677_consumerism_huxley-s-perennial-philosophy-is-concern_815864.jpg)
