A dictionary of Marshall McLuhan’s quotations

In creating the detribalized individual, phonetic literacy created the need for a new educational program. Plato, says [Eric] Havelock, as the first to tackle the problem directly. Plato came up with a spectacular strategy. Instead of the tribal encyclopedia, he advocated classified data. Instead of corporate wisdom, he taught analytic procedures. Instead of the resonating tribal wisdom and energy, Plat o proposed a visual order of ideas for learning and organization.
“Cybernetics and Human Culture” (1964), in Understanding Me (2003), p 50
Year: 1964
Chapter: Literacy
Compiled by William Kuhns
© 2026, The Estate of Marshall McLuhan