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The arts are valuable because they increase our sense of what it means to be human, not because of any specific skill or ability they confer.
Naomi Alderman
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The arts enhance our understanding of humanity rather than just providing skills or abilities.

Naomi Alderman emphasizes that the true value of the arts lies in their ability to deepen our appreciation and comprehension of the human experience. Rather than focusing solely on the technical skills or talents that one may acquire through artistic practice, it is the emotional, intellectual, and cultural insights gained that highlight the importance of the arts in human life.

Themes

ArtsHumanityValueCreativitySkills

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the importance of art education in schools.

More from Naomi Alderman

Writers of feminist dystopian fiction are alert to the realities that grind down women's lives, that make the unthinkable suddenly thinkable.
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When a marriage founders, this may well be cause for tremendous sadness, but it's not a failure of spirit or character. People change, their goals and dreams alter, their ideas of themselves grow, or they just meet someone they like better.
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The demands of having to be 'masculine' are as damaging to men as the demands of having to be 'feminine' are to women. I wish we could all agree just to wash it all away. Begin again.
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One of the hardest challenges posed by the modern world is how to deal with abundance. It's even harder to confront because admitting that it's a problem seems spoiled.
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I hope that there are many more women out there writing bits of feminist sci-fi. And men, also - men are allowed to write feminist things.
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More choice doesn't make us happy, and we understand that no one has infinite choices about how to live life.
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