This quote claims that society as a whole want to become better, but they don't want to make the effort to make the change. There is always an excuse as to why something cant be done, if something doesn't want to be done. People say they want justice, but makeup the excuse that they wont fight for it unless they're protected. That just sounds like they don't want to do it. Change will happen when people actually care and stand up for what they believe in.

Religion, specifically Christianity, is very controlling of its followers. Its followers sacrifice their freedom to think for themselves, their self-confidence of spirits,etc. The religion is the wolf and its followers are the sheep.

It didn't matter what the action was they were doing, good or bad, but instead that they were successful with that action. If they were successful, than it was a good deed and vice versa. Nowadays we know that even if you are able to do something correct, it doesn't necessarily make it right.

It is hard for people to step outside of their box, and try new and different things that others do not do. It takes a very special kind person to deviate from the crowd and do their own thing, no matter what others think. Especially if that person isn't in power, or have any power.

Knowledge is not related to its usefulness, but instead to its spirit. This spirit refers to a certain position in the Encyclopedia that is accounted by speculative discourse. And with spirit comes philosophy because you're now thinking of knowledge as a single unit or something set in stone, but instead at an every changing spirit that needs to be studied deeper.

With this paragraph, Lyotard is explaining to the reader that there are two kinds of knowledge: positivist and hermeneutic. Positivist knowledge is indispensable and is seen everywhere in technology; whereas hermeneutic knowledge is dispensable, indirectly seen in technology.