In idling, the motor's running, but you're letting your mind take in anything. Things pop into it. Those are the gifts of subterranean conscious.
Mortimer AdlerRead
The only standard we have for judging all of our social, economic, and political institutions and arrangements as just or unjust, as good or bad, as better or worse, derives from our conception of the good life for man on earth, and from our conviction that, given certain external conditions, it is possible for men to make good lives for themselves by their own efforts.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Our judgment of institutions depends on our vision of a good life and the belief in our ability to create it.
Mortimer Adler emphasizes that the assessment of our social, economic, and political systems as just or unjust is rooted in our understanding of what constitutes a good life. He suggests that we must believe in our capacity to improve our lives through our own actions, which in turn shapes how we evaluate the effectiveness and fairness of our institutions.
Themes
Good LifeJudgmentJusticeSocial InstitutionsEffort
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion on social justice at a community forum.
More from Mortimer Adler
All quotes →A good book can teach you about the world and about yourself. You learn more than how to read better; you also learn more about life. You become wiser.
Mortimer AdlerRead
If you are reading in order to become a better reader, you cannot read just any book or article. You will not improve as a reader if all you read are books that are well within your capacity. You must tackle books that are beyond you, or, as we have said, books that are over your head. Only books of that sort will make you stretch your mind. And unless you stretch, you will not learn.
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In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but how many can get through to you.
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If your friend wishes to read your 'Plutarch's Lives,' 'Shakespeare,' or 'The Federalist Papers,' tell him gently but firmly, to buy a copy. You will lend him your car or your coat - but your books are as much a part of you as your head or your heart.
Mortimer AdlerRead
When we ask for love, we don't ask others to be fair to us-but rather to care for us, to be considerate of us. There is a world of difference here between demanding justice... and begging or pleading for love.
Mortimer AdlerRead
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