In a consumer society there are inevitably two kinds of slaves: the prisoners of addiction and the prisoners of envy.
Ivan IllichRead
The myth of unending consumption has taken the place of the belief in life everlasting.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote critiques the idea that endless consumption can substitute for deeper values such as the belief in a meaningful existence.
Ivan Illich's quote suggests that modern society often prioritizes material consumption over spiritual or existential beliefs. The 'myth of unending consumption' implies that people have come to view constant acquisition as synonymous with fulfillment, overshadowing the more profound belief in a purposeful life that transcends mere consumption. This shift reflects a crisis of meaning in contemporary culture, where the pursuit of material goods replaces the quest for deeper understanding and connection to life itself.
Themes
ConsumptionBeliefLifeMeaningMaterialism
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about sustainable living, one might quote this to emphasize the need for a shift away from consumerism.
More from Ivan Illich
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School prepares for the alienating institutionalization of life by teaching the need to be taught. Once this lesson is learned, people lose their incentive to grow in independence; they no longer find relatedness attractive, and close themselves off to the surprises which life offers when it is not predetermined by institutional definition.
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The pupil is ... 'schooled' to confuse teaching with learning, grade advancement with education, a diploma with competence, and fluency with the ability to say something new.
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Effective health care depends on self-care; this fact is currently heralded as if it were a discovery.
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Modern medicine is a negation of health. It isn't organised to serve human health, but only itself, as an institution. It makes more people sick than it heals.
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