Democracy divides people into workers and loafers. It makes no provision for those who have no time to work.
Karl KrausRead
Progress celebrates victories over nature. Progress makes purses out of human skin. When people were traveling in mail coaches, the world got ahead better than it does now that salesmen fly through the air. What good is speed if the brain has oozed out on the way? How will the heirs of this age be taught the most basic motions that are necessary to activate the most complicated machines? Nature can rely on progress; it will avenge it for the outrage it has perpetrated on it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote critiques the notion of progress, suggesting that speed and technological advancements come at the cost of our connection to nature and essential human skills.
In this quote, Karl Kraus expresses skepticism about the nature of progress in modern society, arguing that despite advancements in technology and speed, we risk losing essential human wisdom and connection to nature. He highlights the paradoxical idea that while humans may progress by inventing faster means of transportation, such advancements may actually strip individuals of their basic skills and understanding of the natural world. Kraus warns that such negligence could lead to consequences that nature will eventually retaliate against, emphasizing the need to find balance between technological progress and our roots in the natural world.
Themes
ProgressNatureTechnologySpeedWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of preserving nature amidst rapid technological advancements.
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War: first, one hopes to win; then one expects the enemy to lose; then, one is satisfied that he too is suffering; in the end, one is surprised that everyone has lost.
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Stupidity is an elemental force for which no earthquake is a match.
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Experiences are savings which a miser puts aside. Wisdom is an inheritance which a wastrel cannot exhaust.
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Sexuality poorly repressed unsettles some families; well repressed, it unsettles the whole world.
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