Born in Ireland in 1856, George Bernard Shaw was, among other things, an author, a playwright, a critic, an intellectual, a socialist, and an activist. He was also the first person to win both an Academy Award and a Nobel Prize for literature.
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Shaw was a man of exceptional wit and humour, which was well reflected in his literary works, which include plays such as Pygmalion, Arms and the Man, and Man and Superman. Today’s quote of the day belongs to the latter play.
All progress depends on…
The play Man and Superman tells the story of a self-proclaimed misogynist and socialist, John Tanner, who is forced to give in to the headstrong woman, Ann Whitefield’s proposal of marriage, as he realises that it is in essence the “Life Force” at work that pushes humanity towards evolving into a higher being, or ‘Superman.’
Themes of life, love, and marriage are discussed in philosophical undertones in the play, which at one point brings into question the purpose of life. An activist himself, Shaw shares his views on progressive ideas like socialism and anarchism, and at one point observes, “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
The statement highlights the importance of critiquing rules, customs, and traditions when they stop making sense. Progress does not take place without change. And for a change to take place that benefits society at large, it is essential that one or more people refuse to go along with certain things the way that they have always been and voice their demand for something new.
Why is this quote relevant today?
The modern man lives in a fractured world that is deeply divided on multiple fronts, and in political and socio-economic turmoil. There are too many issues to care about and act on for almost every person across the globe, so it is very easy to become complicit with the idea “it is what it is.”
A reasonable man seeks to make the best of any situation without overturning the underlying structure. However, Shaw argues that it is not how progress is made. With an increasing number of societal problems being systemic issues, the solution is not likely to appear while one is limited to the framework or the system itself. Thus, it is being unreasonable in the face of oppression and injustice that will likely result in progress.
