A democratic civilization will save itself only if it makes the language of the image into a stimulus for critical reflection - not an invitation for hypnosis.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Democracy depends on using images to provoke thought instead of passive consumption.
- In plain terms
- Images should make us think, not just hypnotize us.
- What can you take from it?
- Make media spark critical thinking.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do images make you think or feel?
- How do you judge news images?
Another view
Some images are meant purely for entertainment.
More from Umberto Eco
After all, the cultivated person's first duty is to be always prepared to rewrite the encyclopaedia.
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