Context Quote by Idries Shah
““Forms are vehicles and instruments, and vehicles and instruments cannot be called good or bad without context.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Book of the Dead, Idries Shah, 1971
Objects and tools gain moral value only from the situations in which they are used.
In simple terms: Things are good or bad based on context.
Key Takeaway
Judge tools by their use.
Themes
ethics
context
perception
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
philosophical
reflective
When to use this quote
- legal decisions
- technology use
- environmental policy
- art criticism
Key Concepts
Moral relativism
instrumentalism
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you decide the moral value of a tool?
- When does context override intrinsic qualities?
A Different Perspective
Context can be ambiguous, making moral judgments difficult.
![“People always tend to give the benefit of the doubt to allow people to explain the context [of their words].” quote by Keli Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/13d/keli-goff-67356_benefit-of-the-doubt_people-always-tend-to-give-the-benefit-o_18537.jpg)
