Freedom would be not to choose between black and white but to abjure such prescribed choices.
Theodor AdornoRead
Triviality is evil - triviality, that is, in the form of consciousness and mind that adapts itself to the world as it is, that obeys the principle of inertia. And this principle of inertia truly is what is radically evil.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Triviality refers to the acceptance of the world as it is without questioning or challenging it, which Adorno views as fundamentally negative.
In this quote, Theodor Adorno critiques the tendency of individuals to acquiesce to triviality, which he sees as a manifestation of inertia in thought and awareness. By suggesting that this inclination to conform to the status quo is 'radically evil,' Adorno emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and the need for individuals to actively engage with and question their societal surroundings rather than passively accepting them.
Themes
TrivialityInertiaConsciousnessEvilCritical Thinking
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about social change, this quote could emphasize the importance of critical awareness.
More from Theodor Adorno
All quotes →What can oppose the decline of the west is not a resurrected culture but the utopia that is silently contained in the image of its decline.
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Wrong life cannot be lived rightly.
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Auschwitz begins wherever someone looks at a slaughterhouse and thinks: they’re only animals.
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The splinter in your eye is the best magnifying-glass available.
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The culture industry not so much adapts to the reactions of its customers as it counterfeits them.
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