Grounded in the natural philosophy of the Middle Ages, alchemy formed a bridge: on the one hand into the past, to Gnosticism, and on the other into the future, to the modern psychology of the unconscious.
It is really the mistake of our age. We think it is enough to discover new things, but we don't realize that knowing more demands a corresponding development of morality.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that simply gaining knowledge is insufficient; moral development must accompany it.
Carl Jung's quote highlights a critical perspective on the relationship between knowledge and morality in modern society. He argues that while discovering new information and innovations is important, true progress requires an equal focus on the ethical implications of that knowledge. Without a corresponding development in our moral understanding, the advancements we make could lead to detrimental consequences, suggesting that our age should prioritize ethical growth alongside intellectual discovery.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech addressing the impact of technology in education, this quote could illustrate the importance of moral education.
More from Carl Jung
All quotes →The majority of my patients consisted not of believers but of those who had lost their faith.
Complexes are psychic contents which are outside the control of the conscious mind. They have been split off from consciousness and lead a separate existence in the unconscious, being at all times ready to hinder or to reinforce the conscious intentions.
We are in a far better position to observe instincts in animals or in primitives than in ourselves. This is due to the fact that we have grown accustomed to scrutinizing our own actions and to seeking rational explanations for them.
From the viewpoint of analytic psychology, the theatre, aside from any aesthetic value, may be considered as an institution for the treatment of the mass complex.
I have treated many hundreds of patients. Among those in the second half of life - that is to say, over 35 - there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was not that of finding a religious outlook on life.
Similar quotes
Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment.
Blessed is the mind that jumps over and beyond its own conditioning and lands again into its natural state of unmoving awareness.
Simple idea with powerful consequences: everyone who intersects your life knows something you don't.
Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm.
The soil in which the meditative mind can begin is the soil of everyday life, the strife, the pain, and the fleeting joy. It must begin there, and bring order, and from there move endlessly. .. You must take a plunge into the water, not knowing how to swim. And the beauty of meditation is that you never know where you are, where you are going, what the end is.
[My favorite word is] and. It is so hopeful.