--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To every Old World belief, habit, or…" description: "\"“To every Old World belief, habit, or tradition, there was and still is a technological alternative. To prayer, the alternative is penicillin; to famil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ede/neil-postman-1598_death_to-every-old-world-belief-habit-or-tradi_1119187.jpg" --- # To every Old World belief, habit, or tradition, there was… ![“To every Old World belief, habit, or tradition, there was and still is a technological alternative. To prayer, the alternative is penicillin; to family roots, the alternative is mobility; to reading, the alternative is television; to restraint, the alternative is immediate gratification; to sin…” quote by Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ede/neil-postman-1598_death_to-every-old-world-belief-habit-or-tradi_1119187.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ede/neil-postman-1598_death_to-every-old-world-belief-habit-or-tradi_1119187.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ede/neil-postman-1598_death_to-every-old-world-belief-habit-or-tradi_1119187.jpg) > ““To every Old World belief, habit, or tradition, there was and still is a technological alternative. To prayer, the alternative is penicillin; to family roots, the alternative is mobility; to reading, the alternative is television; to restraint, the alternative is immediate gratification; to sin, the alternative is psychotherapy; to political ideology, the alternative is popular appeal established through scientific polling. There is even an alternative to the painful riddle of death, as Freud called it. The riddle may be postponed through longer life, and then perhaps solved altogether by cryogenics.”” [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Technological alternatives replace traditional practices, reshaping culture and even concepts of mortality. **In simple terms:** Tech offers new ways to replace old habits. Key Takeaway Critically assess tech’s impact on values. Themes technology culture change ethics Mood thoughtful cautious Type analytical critical When to use this quote - policy making - education reform - personal health decisions - media consumption Key Concepts technological determinism social adaptation mortality solutions Questions to Reflect On - What traditions should be preserved? - How do we balance innovation with ethical concerns? A Different Perspective Technological replacements can erode meaningful traditions and create new dependencies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Family Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-roots/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Old world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-world/) [Political ideology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-ideology/) [Social-commentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-commentary/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [I never, by any regard, ever denied any part of my family roots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlene-carter/i-never-by-any-regard-ever-denied-any-part-of-my-family-roots/) [Carlene Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlene-carter/) > [For more than 300 years Qawwali music and Sufism have been deeply anchored in my family's roots and we spread it around to the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahat-fateh-ali-khan/for-more-than-300-years-qawwali-music-and-sufism-have-been-deeply/) [Rahat Fateh Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahat-fateh-ali-khan/) > [I have deep family roots in Western Kentucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-beshear/i-have-deep-family-roots-in-western-kentucky/) [Andy Beshear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-beshear/) > [I'm still blue collar in my heart. It comes from strong Long Island family roots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-breuer/i-m-still-blue-collar-in-my-heart-it-comes-from-strong-long-island/) [Jim Breuer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-breuer/) > [I'm a Puerto Rican woman whose family has roots in Regla de Ocha, also known as Santeria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-nokia/i-m-a-puerto-rican-woman-whose-family-has-roots-in-regla-de-ocha-also/) [Princess Nokia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-nokia/) > [Since we've come to Charlotte, we very quickly realized that this is home. This community quickly embraced our family, so we put down roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-olsen/since-we-ve-come-to-charlotte-we-very-quickly-realized-that-this-is/) [Greg Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-olsen/) > [All writers have roots they draw from - travel, work, family. My roots are in science and it is fertile ground for fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/all-writers-have-roots-they-draw-from-travel-work-family-my-roots-are/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [The fact of leaving one's country, one's family, one's roots, can be painful. My father had already found his place, but for us, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/najat-vallaud-belkacem/the-fact-of-leaving-one-s-country-one-s-family-one-s-roots-can-be/) [Najat Vallaud-Belkacem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/najat-vallaud-belkacem/) > [I grew up in Florida in different cities. I was born in Mississippi. My parents moved a lot, so I moved to Tennessee, Alabama,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diplo/i-grew-up-in-florida-in-different-cities-i-was-born-in-mississippi-my/) [Diplo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diplo/) > [I'm thinking, 'Man, there's this whole other group of people that are attached to me because of my last name and my family's roots.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-sanchez/i-m-thinking-man-there-s-this-whole-other-group-of-people-that-are/) [Mark Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-sanchez/) > [I am a first-generation college graduate, and I'm proud to say that most of my other siblings have college degrees as well. Our parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-munoz/i-am-a-first-generation-college-graduate-and-i-m-proud-to-say-that/) [Oscar Munoz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-munoz/) > [I love Cleveland, and I love going back home. That's where my family is. That's where my roots are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-whitley/i-love-cleveland-and-i-love-going-back-home-that-s-where-my-family-is/) [Kym Whitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-whitley/) > [“We are a family whose roots are more like aerials. We pick up signals from the air around us - ideas, affinities, tastes, coordinates.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/we-are-a-family-whose-roots-are-more-like-aerials-we-pick-up-signals/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [“Before I officially began the journey to dig deeper into my food and family roots, I was racking up an internal encyclopedia about other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-w-twitty/before-i-officially-began-the-journey-to-dig-deeper-into-my-food-and/) [Michael W. Twitty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-w-twitty/) > [Traditions are our roots and a profile of who we are as individuals and who we are as a family. They are our roots,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lidia-bastianich/traditions-are-our-roots-and-a-profile-of-who-we-are-as-individuals/) [Lidia Bastianich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lidia-bastianich/) ## More by Neil Postman > [“to whom will the technology give greater power and freedom? And whose power and freedom will be reduced by it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/to-whom-will-the-technology-give-greater-power-and-freedom-and-whose/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [Cyberspace' is a metaphorical idea which is supposed to be the space where your consciousness is located when you're using computer technology on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/cyberspace-is-a-metaphorical-idea-which-is-supposed-to-be-the-space/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [Textbooks, it seems to me, are enemies of education, instruments for promoting dogmatism and trivial learning. They may save the teacher some trouble, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/textbooks-it-seems-to-me-are-enemies-of-education-instruments-for/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [The whole problem with news on television comes down to this: all the words uttered in an hour of news coverage could be printed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-whole-problem-with-news-on-television-comes-down-to-this-all-the/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“There being no international copyright laws, “pirated” editions abounded, with no complaint from the public, or much from authors, who were lionized.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/there-being-no-international-copyright-laws-pirated-editions-abounded/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“The television commercial is not at all about the character of products to be consumed. It is about the character of the consumers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-television-commercial-is-not-at-all-about-the-character-of/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“Many decisions about the form and content of news programs are made on the basis of information about the viewer, the purpose of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/many-decisions-about-the-form-and-content-of-news-programs-are-made/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“the world we live in is very nearly incomprehensible to most of us. There is almost no fact, whether actual or imagined, that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-world-we-live-in-is-very-nearly-incomprehensible-to-most-of-us/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“Tüketici psikodramalarla yatıştırılan bir hastadır.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/t-ketici-psikodramalarla-yat-t-r-lan-bir-hastad-r/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“Huxley grasped, as Orwell did not, that it is not necessary to conceal anything from a public insensible to contradiction and narcotized by technological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/huxley-grasped-as-orwell-did-not-that-it-is-not-necessary-to-conceal/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“The written word is assumed to have been reflected upon and revised by its author,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-written-word-is-assumed-to-have-been-reflected-upon-and-revised/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [We do not measure a culture by its output of undisguised trivialities but by what it claims as significant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/we-do-not-measure-a-culture-by-its-output-of-undisguised-trivialities/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“In America, the least amusing people are its professional entertainers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/in-america-the-least-amusing-people-are-its-professional-entertainers/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“We were keeping our eye on 1984. When the year came and the prophecy didn't, thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/we-were-keeping-our-eye-on-1984-when-the-year-came-and-the-prophecy/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [“The question is not, Does or doesn't public schooling create a public? The question is, What kind of public does it create? A conglomerate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-question-is-not-does-or-doesn-t-public-schooling-create-a-public/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) [Explore all 220 Neil Postman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) ## More Alternative quotes > [The alternative comedy scene is actually pretty small, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wilson/the-alternative-comedy-scene-is-actually-pretty-small-i-guess/) [Casey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wilson/) > [In my book I specifically discussed the structural nature of injustice and offered Nine Touchstones of Goddess ethics as an alternative to the Ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-p-christ/in-my-book-i-specifically-discussed-the-structural-nature-of/) [Carol P. Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-p-christ/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [Maximise the alternative forms in which a user might receive a service, and the alternative sources of supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-chipp/maximise-the-alternative-forms-in-which-a-user-might-receive-a/) Don Chipp > [In January 2012, Google Plus started to roll out support for nicknames and pseudonyms, but those registering with a name other than their real-life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/in-january-2012-google-plus-started-to-roll-out-support-for-nicknames/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [It's American Alternative radio stations that bug me. We're considered Alternative, but don't expect us to be played next to Blink 182 and Offspring.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurston-moore/it-s-american-alternative-radio-stations-that-bug-me-we-re-considered/) [Thurston Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurston-moore/) > [There are some fantastic, brilliant alternative doctors out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayley-mills/there-are-some-fantastic-brilliant-alternative-doctors-out-there/) [Hayley Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayley-mills/) > [The alternative to the market process is government control, and we know where that principle leads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-richman/the-alternative-to-the-market-process-is-government-control-and-we/) [Sheldon Richman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-richman/) > [Alternative services would mean that there would be services available to compete with Google, Facebook, Amazon, Dropbox, Skype, etc., and they would be run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikko-hypponen/alternative-services-would-mean-that-there-would-be-services/) [Mikko Hypponen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikko-hypponen/) > [I liked a lot of alternative and I like punk stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/i-liked-a-lot-of-alternative-and-i-like-punk-stuff/) [Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/) > [I've thought about what is an alternative word to feminism. There isn't one. It's a perfectly good word. And it can't be changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/i-ve-thought-about-what-is-an-alternative-word-to-feminism-there-isn/) [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) > [The Voice has always been an alternative paper. They have always understood that that was part of their role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-schanberg/the-voice-has-always-been-an-alternative-paper-they-have-always/) [Sydney Schanberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-schanberg/) > [Please don't eat less, eat right, don't hold it in, its okay to cry, do not hurt yourself there is always an alternative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/please-don-t-eat-less-eat-right-don-t-hold-it-in-its-okay-to-cry-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Gospel is not an alternative, it’s an ultimatum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhard-bonnke/the-gospel-is-not-an-alternative-it-s-an-ultimatum/) [Reinhard Bonnke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhard-bonnke/) > [Alternative medicine plays into this exaggerated notion that you can prevent disease simply by doing the right thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/alternative-medicine-plays-into-this-exaggerated-notion-that-you-can/) [Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/) Browse all 400 Alternative quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To every Old World belief, habit, or tradition, there was and still is a technological alternative. 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