The truth is that Mozart, Pascal, Boolean Algebra, Shakespeare, parliamentary government, baroque churches, Newton, the emancipation of women, Kant, Marx, and Balanchine ballets don't redeem what this particular civilization has wrought upon the world. The white race is the cancer of human history.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Sontag argues that great cultural achievements do not offset the harms caused by modern civilization, particularly criticizing white supremacy.
- In plain terms
- No matter how great a society's art or science, it can still do terrible harm.
- What can you take from it?
- Achievement does not excuse harm.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does art justify a society?
- How do we weigh culture against harm?
Another view
The racial claim is widely disputed and reduces complex history to a single axis.
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