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.
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Every day you make some progress and every day you make a few mistakes. Through it all, your wisdom continues to grow and your experience continues to broaden.
I've always found a cure for the blues is wandering into something unknown, and resting there, before coming back to whatever weight you were carrying.
Events will take their course, it is no good of being angry at them; he is happiest who wisely turns them to the best account.
You get the most approval when you care the least about it.
...but I've never regretted it. You can't regret experience.
I don't care about age very much. I think back to the old people I knew when I was growing up, and they always seemed larger than life.