Classical music is a special taste like Greek language or pre-Columbian archeology, not a common culture of reciprocal communication and psychological shorthand.
Allan BloomRead
Our Nation, a great stage for the acting out of great thoughts, presents the classic confrontation between Locke's views of the state of nature and Rousseau's criticism of them... Nature is raw material, worthless without the mixture of human labor; yet nature is also the highest and most sacred thing. The same people who struggle to save the snail-darter bless the pill, worry about hunting deer and defend abortion. Reverence for nature, mastery of nature- whichever is convenient.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote explores the complex relationship between nature and human thought, highlighting the contradictions in how society values both nature and human intervention.
Allan Bloom's quote reflects on the dualistic nature of humanity's interaction with the environment, pointing out that while nature is revered as sacred, it is often seen as mere raw material subject to human labor. This juxtaposition illustrates the conflicting perspectives in society regarding nature, as some advocate for its protection while others exploit it for convenience, ultimately questioning the authenticity of our values.
Themes
NatureHuman LaborSocietyValuesEnvironment
In practice
Example use cases
During an environmental conference, one might quote Bloom to emphasize the contradictions in society's treatment of nature.
More from Allan Bloom
All quotes →The humanities are like the great old Paris Flea Market where, amidst masses of junk, people with a good eye found cast away treasures...They are like a refugee camp where all the geniuses driven out of their jobs and countries by unfriendly regimes are idling.
Allan BloomRead
Reason transformed into prejudice is the worst form of prejudice, because reason is the only instrument for liberation from prejudice.
Allan BloomRead
There is no real education that does not respond to felt need; anything else acquired is trifling display.
Allan BloomRead
Students now arrive at the university ignorant and cynical about our political heritage, lacking the wherewithal to be either inspired by it or seriously critical of it.
Allan BloomRead
We are like ignorant shepherds living on a site where great civilizations once flourished. The shepherds play with the fragments that pop up to the surface, having no notion of the beautiful structures of which they were once a part.
Allan BloomRead
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