Apropos of nothing, here's a quote that I like from William H. Whyte's Introduction to his own seminal sociological study The Organization Man:
There are only a few times in organization life when he can wrench his destiny into his own hands—and if he does not fight then, he will make a surrender that will later mock him. But when is that time? Will he know the time when he sees it? By what standards is he to judge? He does feel an obligation to the group; he does sense moral constraints on his free will. If he goes against the group, is he being courageous—or just stubborn? Helpful—or selfish? Is he, as he so often wonders, right after all? It is in the resolution of a multitude of such dilemmas, I submit, that the real issue of individualism lies today.I think this quote is a more fair and accurate description of life as an Interaction Designer than anything Alan Cooper's ever written.
Comments