To say that "the camera cannot lie" is merely to underline the multiple deceits that are now practised in its name.
Marshall McluhanRead
With the arrival of electric technology, man extended, or set outside himself, a live model of the central nervous system itself. To the degree that this is so, it is a development that suggests a desperate and suicidal autoamputation, as if the central nervous system could no longer depend on the physical organs to be protective buffers against the slings and arrows of outrageous mechanism.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on how electric technology has disconnected humanity from its physical roots, leading to a potential self-destructive reliance on machines.
Marshall McLuhan discusses the profound impact of electric technology on human existence, suggesting that it acts as an external model of our central nervous system. He warns that this transformation may be akin to a self-destructive severing from our biological foundations, where technology diminishes our reliance on physical organs that traditionally safeguard us from the challenges of life.
Themes
TechnologyNervous SystemElectricHumanityDisconnection
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on the effects of technology on society, one might use this quote to illustrate the depth of our dependence on machines.
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The poet, the artist, the sleuth, whoever sharpens our perception tends to antisocial; rarely 'well adjusted,' he cannot go along with currents and trends.
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