Debate between two great men of the 20th century. They agree on many things and obviously have respect for each other. The argument revolves around moralism and judgment. McLuhan refuses to pass moral judgment on technology and society, while Mailer claims it's absolutely necessary.
Mailer at 24:05:
"The Alienated Man in relation to his new environments which alienate him further from himself. What does it mean to be an Alienated Man? It means to be a man who does not have a clear notion of himself, but rather contains two opposed notions of himself:
'I think that I am smart, and I think that I am dumb. I think that I am good, and I think that I am evil. I think that I am strong, and I think that I am weak. I think I'm a tough guy, and I think I'm a coward. I think I'm a great lover, I think I'm not...
He cannot define himself in any environment which has been programmed for him. He can only define himself by getting into situations that are brand new for him. Because when situations are brand new for him, his obsessions can cease for a moment. He can stop thinking of himself at the one moment as being either this or that, because he can be one thing at the moment...
It's a profoundly existential situation for him, because he doesn't know how it's going to turn out... Because he does not have time to evaluate it.
Whenever a man engages in a value judgment, he is either suffering profoundly from alienation or finding his way back out of alienation.
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