The real problems of our planet are not economic or technical, they are philosophical. The philosophy of unbridled materialism is being challenged by events.
E. F. SchumacherRead
The printing press is either the greatest blessing or the greatest curse of modern times, sometimes one forgets which it is.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The printing press has a profound impact on society, bringing both benefits and drawbacks that can be easily overlooked.
E. F. Schumacher's quote reflects on the dual nature of technological advancements, particularly the printing press. It emphasizes that while the printing press has democratized information and can be seen as a great blessing, it also has the potential to spread misinformation and contribute to societal issues, making it hard to definitively categorize its impact as purely positive or negative.
Themes
Printing PressTechnologyBlessingCurseInformation
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about the impact of technology in education, this quote can be used to highlight the dual nature of information access.
More from E. F. Schumacher
All quotes βThe substance of man cannot be measured by Gross National Product.
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By means of trees, wildlife could be conserved, pollution decreased, and the beauty of our landscapes enhanced. This is the way, or at least one of the ways, to spiritual, moral, and cultural regeneration.
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We still have to learn how to live peacefully, not only with our fellow men but also with nature and, above all, with those Higher Powers which have made nature and have made us; for, assuredly, we have not come about by accident and certainly have not made ourselves
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The heart of the matter, as I see it, is the stark fact that world poverty is primarily a problem of two million villages, and thus a problem of two thousand million villagers.
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Economic policies absorb almost the entire attention of government, and at the same time become ever more impotent. The simplest things, which only fifty years ago one could do without difficulty, cannot get done any more. The richer a society, the more impossible it become to do worthwhile things without immediate payoff.
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