The writer is the person who stands outside society, independent of affiliation and independent of influence.
Don DelilloRead
This is the whole point of technology. It creates an appetite for immortality on the one hand. It threatens universal extinction on the other. Technology is lust removed from nature. - Murray (WN 285)
Interpretation
What this quote means
Technology evokes a desire for lasting life while also posing existential risks.
Don Delillo's quote highlights the dual nature of technology as a force that fuels humanity's yearning for immortality, exemplifying our desire to transcend the limitations of life, while simultaneously warning of its potential to lead to widespread disaster and extinction. Through this lens, technology is portrayed as a powerful and seductive entity that deviates from the natural order, resulting in both aspirations for eternal existence and an underlying threat to survival.
Themes
TechnologyImmortalityExtinctionLustNature
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the impact of innovation, one could reference this quote to discuss technology's role in shaping human aspiration.
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