Acquired taste Quote by Tony Judt
““Why do we experience such difficulty even imagining a different sort of society? Why is it beyond us to conceive of a different set of arrangements to our common advantage? Are we doomed indefinitely to lurch between a dysfunctional 'free market' and the much-advertised horrors of 'socialism'? Our disability is discursive: we simply do not know how to talk about these things any more. For the last thirty years, when asking ourselves whether we support a policy, a proposal or an initiative, we have restricted ourselves to issues of profit and loss - economic questions in the narrowest sense. But these is not an instinctive human condition: it is an acquired taste.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Future of History by Tony Judt, 2015
People struggle to imagine alternative social systems because dominant discourse limits language and imagination, confining debate to profit‑centric terms.
In simple terms: Limited discourse blocks new ideas.
Key Takeaway
Expand language beyond profit.
Themes
politics
economics
ideology
discourse
imagination
Mood
reflective
critical
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- policy debates
- education reform
- media analysis
- community organizing
Key Concepts
critical theory
public sphere
Questions to Reflect On
- What vocabularies limit our thinking?
- How can we broaden public discourse?
A Different Perspective
Changing language is difficult and may meet resistance.
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