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Quote by Arthur Koestler

“We cannot unthink unless we are insane.”

Quote by Arthur Koestler

Author

Arthur Koestler

Arthur Koestler was a Hungarian-British author, journalist, and political activist. He is renowned for his novel 'Darkness at Noon' and his involvement in the Spanish Civil War. Koestler's writings frequently delved into the themes of totalitarianism and the individual's resistance to oppression. more

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“The new frontiers to be conquered are mainly in the convolutions of the cortex.”

Frontiers New Frontiers

Author:Arthur Koestler

“The revolutions of thought which shape the basic outlook of an age are not disseminated through text-books- they spread like epidemics, through contamination by invisible agents and innocent germ carriers, by the most varied forms of contact, or simply by breathing the common air.”

Book Age Form Common Air Revolution Shapes Spread Invisible Innocent Contact Agents Breathing Outlook Epidemics Germs Carrier Contamination

Author:Arthur Koestler

“The evils of mankind are caused, not by the primary aggressiveness of individuals, but by their self-transcending identification with groups whose common denominator is low intelligence and high emotionality.”

Self Evil Individual Common Groups Mankind Lows Primaries Identification Common Denominator Transcending Aggressiveness

Author:Arthur Koestler

“From the psychological point of view, the self-asserting emotions, derived from emergency reactions, involve a narrowing of consciousness; the participatory emotions an expansion of consciousness by identificatory processes of various kinds.”

Kind Self Process Views Emotion Consciousness Various Point Of View Reactions Psychological Expansion Emergencies

Author:Arthur Koestler

“Brain-washing starts in the cradle.”

Brain Cradle Washing

Book:Kaleidoscope: essays from Drinkers of infinity, and The heel of Achilles and later pieces and stories

Source: Kaleidoscope: essays from Drinkers of infinity, and The heel of Achilles and later pieces and stories

“No man is an island- he is a holon. A Janus-faced entity who, looking inward, sees himself as a self-contained unique whole, looking outward as a dependent part. His self-assertive tendency is the dynamic manifestation of his unique wholeness, his autonomy and independence as a holon. Its equally universal antagonist, the integrative tendency, expresses his dependence on the larger whole to which he belongs: his 'part-ness.'.”

Men Self Whole Unique Universal Independence Tendencies Manifestation Islands Dependent Entity Inward Wholeness Dependence Autonomy Assertive Antagonist Self Contained Janus

Author:Arthur Koestler

“The integrative tendencies of the individual are incomparably more dangerous than his self-assertive tendencies.”

Self Individual Dangerous Tendencies Assertive

Author:Arthur Koestler

“The continuous disasters of man's history are mainly due to his excessive capacity and urge to become identified with a tribe, nation, church or cause, and to espouse its credo uncritically and enthusiastically, even if its tenets are contrary to reason, devoid of self-interest and detrimental to the claims of self-preservation.We are thus driven to the unfashionable conclusion that the trouble with our species is not an excess of aggression, but an excess capacity for fanatical devotion.”

“the self-assertive tendency is the dynamic expression of the holon's wholeness, the integrative tendency, the dynamic expression of its partness.”

Self Society Expression Tendencies Wholeness Assertive

Author:Arthur Koestler

“man has an irrepressible tendency to read meaning into the buzzing confusion of sights and sounds impinging on his senses; and where no agreed meaning can be found, he will provide it out of his own imagination.”

Men Found Sound Imagination Society Sight Senses Confusion Tendencies Irrepressible Sight And Sound

Author:Arthur Koestler