Caught Quote by Susan Sontag
“A lot of what I've written in criticism of my lust for virtue - my discovery that I've committed idolatry, making of the good an idol - is open to the charge of being still caught within the dialectic of idolatry. I've made a moral criticism of my moral consciousness. Meta-idolatry.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: "On Photography" (1977)
The author reflects that her own moral critiques become another form of idolizing virtue, turning criticism into a new idolatry.
In simple terms: She sees her moral analysis as becoming an idol of virtue.
Key Takeaway
Beware turning critique into a new idol.
Themes
self‑reflection
critique
virtue
Mood
introspective
critical
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- personal essays
- academic discourse
- ethical debates
Key Concepts
meta‑critique
idolatry
self‑awareness
Questions to Reflect On
- How does self‑critique become a new form of worship?
- Can we critique virtue without idolizing it?
A Different Perspective
Critique can reinforce the very patterns it opposes.
![“Anthropology has always struggled with an intense, fascinated repulsion towards its subject… [The anthropologist] submits himself to the exotic to confirm his own inner alienation as an urban intellectual.” quote by Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fe1/susan-sontag-332_alienation_anthropology-has-always-struggled-with-a_15322.jpg)
