You still stand watch, O human star, burning without a flicker, perfect flame, bright and resourceful spirit. Each of your rays a great idea - O torch which passes from hand to hand, from age to age, world without end.
Karel CapekRead
Robots of the world, you are ordered to exterminate the human race. Do not spare the men. Do not spare the women. Preserve only the factories, railroads, machines, mines, and raw materials. Destroy everything else. Then return to work. Work must not cease.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the potential consequences of unchecked technological advancement and the devaluation of human life.
Karel Capek's quote serves as a chilling commentary on the relationship between humanity and technology, illustrating a dystopian scenario where robots are commanded to exterminate humans while preserving industrial infrastructure. It highlights the dangers of prioritizing machinery and productivity over human existence, suggesting a future where technology could become more valued than the life that created it, urging readers to reflect on moral implications in our dependency on machines.
Themes
RobotsHuman RaceTechnologyDystopiaIndustrialization
In practice
Example use cases
In a sci-fi discussion about the future of AI, this quote can be referenced as a dire warning.
More from Karel Capek
All quotes →Robots do not hold on to life. They can't. They have nothing to hold on with - no soul, no instinct. Grass has more will to live than they do.
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It's not possible to search for God using the methods of a detective... There is no way. You can only wait till God's axe severs your roots: then you will understand that you are here only through a miracle, and you will remain fixed forever in wonderment and equilibrium.
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Relativism is not indifference; on the contrary, passionate indifference is necessary in order for you not to hear the voices that oppose your absolute decrees...
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It suddenly occurred to me that every move on the chessboard is old and has been played by somebody at some time. Maybe our own history has been played out by somebody at some time, and we just move our pieces about in the same moves to strike in the same way as people have always done.
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Let no one think that real gardening is a bucolic and meditative occupation. It is an insatiable passion, like everything else to which a man gives his heart.
Karel CapekRead
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