Arrogant Quote by Marshall McLuhan
“I do not say whether it is a good or bad thing. To do so would be meaningless and arrogant.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, 1964
He claims judgment about good or bad is futile because it imposes a simplistic moral lens on complex phenomena.
In simple terms: Judging as good or bad is meaningless.
Key Takeaway
Avoid binary judgments in analysis.
Themes
media theory
ethics
complexity
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
inquisitive
When to use this quote
- policy making
- technology assessment
- media literacy
Key Concepts
relativism
critical thinking
Questions to Reflect On
- When is moral labeling useful?
- How can we assess impact without good/bad labels?
A Different Perspective
Binary judgments can ignore nuance.
![“[T]he tax code has been piling up, year after year, a symbol of everything gone wrong in America, of arrogant rulers and lost freedom, just waiting for us to pick the whole thing up and heave it away. It has to happen. Free people can put up with such laws only for so long.” quote by Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aed/dick-armey-16265_america_t-he-tax-code-has-been-piling-up-year-af_12886.jpg)
