--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The marriage of reason and nightmare…" description: "\"The marriage of reason and nightmare which has dominated the 20th century has given birth to an ever more ambiguous world. Across the communications la..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/j-g-ballard-2711_20th-century_the-marriage-of-reason-and-nightmare-whi_392243.jpg" --- # The marriage of reason and nightmare which has dominated… ![“The marriage of reason and nightmare which has dominated the 20th century has given birth to an ever more ambiguous world. Across the communications landscape move the specters of sinister technologies and the dreams that money can buy. Thermonuclear weapons systems and soft drink commercials…” quote by J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/j-g-ballard-2711_20th-century_the-marriage-of-reason-and-nightmare-whi_392243.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/j-g-ballard-2711_20th-century_the-marriage-of-reason-and-nightmare-whi_392243.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/j-g-ballard-2711_20th-century_the-marriage-of-reason-and-nightmare-whi_392243.jpg) > “The marriage of reason and nightmare which has dominated the 20th century has given birth to an ever more ambiguous world. Across the communications landscape move the specters of sinister technologies and the dreams that money can buy. Thermonuclear weapons systems and soft drink commercials coexist in an overlit realm ruled by advertising and pseudoevents, science and pornography. Over our lives preside the great twin leitmotifs of the 20th century-sex and paranoia.” [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The blend of rational thought and nightmare in modern times creates a world of contradictions, where dangerous tech and consumer fantasies coexist, driven by advertising, fear, and sexuality. **In simple terms:** Modern life mixes logic and nightmare, producing contradictory realities. Key Takeaway Recognize and question the paradoxes shaping society. Themes technology consumerism fear sexuality media Mood critical reflective analytical Type philosophical critical observational When to use this quote - political analysis - media literacy - ethical tech development - personal reflection - artistic interpretation Key Concepts postmodernism cultural critique media theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you see reason and nightmare interacting in your daily life? - What role does advertising play in shaping your fears? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize the 20th century, ignoring positive scientific and cultural advances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [20th century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/20th-century/) [Advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) [Age of reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-of-reason/) [Ambiguous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguous/) [Ambiguous World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguous-world-3536223/) [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Coexist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coexist/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Drink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drink/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Landscape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/landscape/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Nightmare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmare/) [Nuclear weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nuclear-weapons/) [Our lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-lives/) [Paranoia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paranoia/) [Pornography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pornography/) [Realms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realms/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Nightmare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-nightmare-3536225/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Sinister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinister/) [Soft drinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soft-drinks/) [Technologies Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technologies-dreams-3536224/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Twins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twins/) [Weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapons/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Across the communication landscape move the specters of sinister technologies and the dreams that money can buy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/across-the-communication-landscape-move-the-specters-of-sinister/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [“You can't reason with a nightmare”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/you-can-t-reason-with-a-nightmare/) [Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/) > [Real life ... it was an ambiguous world, where actions sometimes had no meaning, where chaos reigned and no one was allowed to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bentley-little/real-life-it-was-an-ambiguous-world-where-actions-sometimes-had-no/) [Bentley Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bentley-little/) > [Like music my drawings transport us to the ambiguous world of the indeterminate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odilon-redon/like-music-my-drawings-transport-us-to-the-ambiguous-world-of-the/) [Odilon Redon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odilon-redon/) > [You never see Coke and Pepsi doing attacks to each other. It would depress the product category of soft drinks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hickenlooper/you-never-see-coke-and-pepsi-doing-attacks-to-each-other-it-would/) [John Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hickenlooper/) > [They sought out rap music to attack, but you don't hear that anymore because it made too much money. They use Che Guevara to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landis/they-sought-out-rap-music-to-attack-but-you-don-t-hear-that-anymore/) [John Landis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landis/) > [A modern hospital is like Grand Central Station—all noise and hubbub, and is filled with smoking physicians, nurses, orderlies, patients and visitors. Soft drinks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-m-shelton/a-modern-hospital-is-like-grand-central-station-all-noise-and-hubbub/) [Herbert M. Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-m-shelton/) > [Coca-Cola remains emblematic of the best and worst of America and Western civilization. The history of Coca-Cola is the often funny story of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-pendergrast/coca-cola-remains-emblematic-of-the-best-and-worst-of-america-and/) [Mark Pendergrast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-pendergrast/) > [Whether you're selling soft drinks, snack foods or a sport, all good marketers know it is important for every single person to want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-france/whether-you-re-selling-soft-drinks-snack-foods-or-a-sport-all-good/) [Brian France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-france/) > [To wash down your chicken nuggets with virtually any soft drink in the supermarket is to have some corn with your corn. Since the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/to-wash-down-your-chicken-nuggets-with-virtually-any-soft-drink-in/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Unless we're talking about old-school, witchcraft-trial violence, can we please phase out the phrase 'girl crush?' While we're at it, if we can axe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/unless-we-re-talking-about-old-school-witchcraft-trial-violence-can/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [“Brand Category Year of launch Schweppes Soft drinks 1783 Cadbury Chocolate 1831 Budweiser Beer 1876 Coca-Cola Soft drinks 1886 Heineken Beer 1886 Kodak Photo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-thain/brand-category-year-of-launch-schweppes-soft-drinks-1783-cadbury/) [Greg Thain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-thain/) > [We frequently hear of people dying from too much drinking. That this happens is a matter of record. But the blame is always placed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/we-frequently-hear-of-people-dying-from-too-much-drinking-that-this/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [The consumption of alcohol is increasing among youth. Targeting young audiences, advertisers portray beer and wine as joyful, socially desirable, and harmless. Producers are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/the-consumption-of-alcohol-is-increasing-among-youth-targeting-young/) [Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/) > [There's a very distinct difference between a really wonderful DIY label and a soft drink company, or a car company, or a clothing brand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-palomo/there-s-a-very-distinct-difference-between-a-really-wonderful-diy/) [Alan Palomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-palomo/) ## More by J. G. Ballard > [Science and technology multiply around us. To an increasing extent they dictate the languages in which we speak and think. Either we use those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/science-and-technology-multiply-around-us-to-an-increasing-extent/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [There are some people, who place enormous value on their home and feel that it defines them, that a stain on the carpet is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/there-are-some-people-who-place-enormous-value-on-their-home-and-feel/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [A reality that is electronic... Once everybody's got a computer terminal in their home, to satisfy all their needs, all the domestic needs, there'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/a-reality-that-is-electronic-once-everybody-s-got-a-computer-terminal/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [If you're against globalisation, it doesn't achieve much by sort of bombing the head offices of Shell or Nestle. You unsettle people much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/if-you-re-against-globalisation-it-doesn-t-achieve-much-by-sort-of/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [The suburbs dream of violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/the-suburbs-dream-of-violence/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [I made a very slatternly mother, notably unkeen on housework, unaware that homes need to be cleaned now and then, and too often to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/i-made-a-very-slatternly-mother-notably-unkeen-on-housework-unaware/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [I was in Shanghai when the Japanese invaded China. I was there in Shanghai when, the morning after Pearl Harbor, they seized Shanghai.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/i-was-in-shanghai-when-the-japanese-invaded-china-i-was-there-in/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [Electronic aids, particularly domestic computers, will helpthe inner migration, the opting out of reality. Reality is no longer going to be the stuff out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/electronic-aids-particularly-domestic-computers-will-helpthe-inner/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [Perhaps the future belongs to magic, and it's we women who control magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/perhaps-the-future-belongs-to-magic-and-it-s-we-women-who-control/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [Any fool can write a novel but it takes real genius to sell it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/any-fool-can-write-a-novel-but-it-takes-real-genius-to-sell-it/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [I work for three or four hours a day, in the late morning and early afternoon. Then I go out for a walk and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/i-work-for-three-or-four-hours-a-day-in-the-late-morning-and-early/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [Even one's own home is a kind of anthology of advertisers, manufacturers, motifs and presentation techniques. There's nothing 'natural' about one's home these days.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/even-one-s-own-home-is-a-kind-of-anthology-of-advertisers/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [I was born in the city's general hospital on November 15, 1930, and we lived at 31 Amherst Avenue in the western suburbs. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/i-was-born-in-the-city-s-general-hospital-on-november-15-1930-and-we/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [I suspect that many of the great cultural shifts that prepare the way for political change are largely aesthetic. A Buick radiator grille is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/i-suspect-that-many-of-the-great-cultural-shifts-that-prepare-the-way/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [Orwell's '1984' convinced me, rightly or wrongly, that Marxism was only a quantum leap away from tyranny. By contrast, Huxley's 'Brave New World' suggested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/orwell-s-1984-convinced-me-rightly-or-wrongly-that-marxism-was-only-a/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) [Explore all 151 J. G. Ballard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) ## More 20th century quotes > [I think the inhabitants of the past are fighting hard to keep the rents they acquired in the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bennet/i-think-the-inhabitants-of-the-past-are-fighting-hard-to-keep-the/) [Michael Bennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bennet/) > [Corporate America is a 20th-century dinosaur, trembling on the edge of extinction, and the only way for you to have a genuinely secure future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/corporate-america-is-a-20th-century-dinosaur-trembling-on-the-edge-of/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [America thrived in the 20th century because we made high school free. We sent a generation to college. We cultivated the most educated workforce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/america-thrived-in-the-20th-century-because-we-made-high-school-free/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/the-20th-century-has-been-marked-by-cynicism-selfishness-greed-and/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [I've studied the lives of the 20th century's great businessmen and concluded self-confidence was instrumental in all their success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-spanos/i-ve-studied-the-lives-of-the-20th-century-s-great-businessmen-and/) [Alex Spanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-spanos/) > [Universal literacy was a 20th-century goal. Before then, reading and writing were skills largely confined to a small, highly educated class of professional people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/universal-literacy-was-a-20th-century-goal-before-then-reading-and/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [The great wars of the 20th Century made it into the worst Century ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/the-great-wars-of-the-20th-century-made-it-into-the-worst-century-ever/) [Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/) > [That is very different from how it used to be in the 20th century. Media was very one way. There's a small little industry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/that-is-very-different-from-how-it-used-to-be-in-the-20th-century/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [If you look back on the history of the 20th century, the 19th century or even to the ancien régime of the 18th, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/if-you-look-back-on-the-history-of-the-20th-century-the-19th-century/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Up to the 20th century, we can say that this whole period was an Earth epoch, 'Earth' meaning the riches of the earth, simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/up-to-the-20th-century-we-can-say-that-this-whole-period-was-an-earth/) [Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/) > [I think this century more than any other really has seen the phenomenon of people being uprooted in such numbers, such a degree. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-think-this-century-more-than-any-other-really-has-seen-the/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [If you look at that incredible burst of fantastic characters that emerged in the late 19th century/early 20th century, you can see so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/if-you-look-at-that-incredible-burst-of-fantastic-characters-that/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [Cruel and paradoxical though it undoubtedly is, the record shows that yje most succesful 20th century monarchs have been those who were not actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cannadine/cruel-and-paradoxical-though-it-undoubtedly-is-the-record-shows-that/) [David Cannadine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cannadine/) > [An interesting thing about New Zealand, you know, literature is that it really didn't begin in any real sense until the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/an-interesting-thing-about-new-zealand-you-know-literature-is-that-it/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [The Warmth of Other Suns is a sweeping and yet deeply personal tale of America's hidden 20th century history - the long and difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/the-warmth-of-other-suns-is-a-sweeping-and-yet-deeply-personal-tale/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) [Browse all 672 20th century quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/20th-century/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The marriage of reason and nightmare which has dominated the 20th century has given birth to an ever more ambiguous world. Across the communications landscape move the specters of sinister technologies and the dreams that money can buy. Thermonuclear weapons systems and soft drink commercials coexist in an overlit realm ruled by advertising and pseudoevents, science and pornography. Over our lives preside the great twin leitmotifs of the 20th century-sex and paranoia.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "J. G. Ballard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/the-marriage-of-reason-and-nightmare-which-has-dominated-the-20th/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "20th century" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/the-marriage-of-reason-and-nightmare-which-has-dominated-the-20th/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/j-g-ballard-2711_20th-century_the-marriage-of-reason-and-nightmare-whi_392243.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/j-g-ballard-2711_20th-century_the-marriage-of-reason-and-nightmare-whi_392243.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/j-g-ballard-2711_20th-century_the-marriage-of-reason-and-nightmare-whi_392243.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The marriage of reason and nightmare which has dominated the 20th century has given birth to an ever more…” — J. G. Ballard", "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": "J. G. Ballard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The marriage of reason and nightmare...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/the-marriage-of-reason-and-nightmare-which-has-dominated-the-20th/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/the-marriage-of-reason-and-nightmare-which-has-dominated-the-20th/#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 } } ] } ```