You hear people say that all the time: "You can't put the genie back in the bottle"; "you're asking people to forget." But that's just another attempt to rationalize craziness by calling it human nature. And it's a variant of the old racist intelligence theory: because the Hopi didn't invent backhoes, they must not be curious. Sure, people are naturally curious but about what? Would you or I aspire to create the neutron bomb? Of course not. But the fact that I don't want to create a neutron bomb doesn't mean I'm not curious. Curiosity is not value-free. Certain types of curiosity arise from certain mindsets, and our culture's curiosity follows the logic of alienation not simple wonder, or the desire to learn.


Running on Emptiness: The Pathology of Civilization (2002)

John Zerzan Quotes

You hear people say that all the time: You can't put the genie back in the bottle; you're asking people to forget. But that's just another attempt to ...

You hear people say that all the time: You can't put the genie back in the bottle; you're asking people to forget. But that's just another attempt to ...

You hear people say that all the time: You can't put the genie back in the bottle; you're asking people to forget. But that's just another attempt to ...

You hear people say that all the time: You can't put the genie back in the bottle; you're asking people to forget. But that's just another attempt to ...