We live in a culture in which intelligence is denied relevance altogether, in a search for radical innocence, or is defended as an instrument of authority and repression. In my view, the only intelligence worth defending is critical, dialectical, skeptical, desimplifying.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Sontag critiques a culture that ignores intelligence or uses it for control, arguing true intelligence is critical, skeptical, and simplifies less.
- In plain terms
- True intelligence is critical and skeptical, not just a tool for authority.
- What can you take from it?
- Defend critical thinking over simple, compliant intelligence.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How is intelligence used in your field?
- What counts as real intelligence?
Another view
Some institutions prioritize practical intelligence over critical inquiry.
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