I think if there is a logic and a hopeful one that appears in this, it is the dispelling of all unconscious aspects of our lives altogether. That, in order to live with ourselves in such depth, in such instant feedback situations, we have to understand everything – so that our easygoing lolling about in the lap of the unconscious cannot endure, that we will have to take over the total human environment as an artifact. But it seems to be forced upon us, the need to become completely autonomous and aware of all the consequences of everything we’re doing before the consequences occur is where we’re heading.
“The Future of Man in the Electronic Age” (Interview with Frank Kermode), 1965, in “Marshall McLuhan Speaks,” transcript, 15:30
Year: 1965
Compiled by William Kuhns
© 2026, The Estate of Marshall McLuhan
© 2026, The Estate of Marshall McLuhan