--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Modern society has evolved to the point…" description: "\"Modern society has evolved to the point where we counter the old-fashioned fatalism surrounding the word 'cancer' by embracing the idea of the Uber-min..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/abraham-verghese-1533_cancer_modern-society-has-evolved-to-the-point_1558693.jpg" --- # Modern society has evolved to the point where we counter… ![“Modern society has evolved to the point where we counter the old-fashioned fatalism surrounding the word 'cancer' by embracing the idea of the Uber-mind - that our will possesses nearly supernatural powers.” quote by Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/abraham-verghese-1533_cancer_modern-society-has-evolved-to-the-point_1558693.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/abraham-verghese-1533_cancer_modern-society-has-evolved-to-the-point_1558693.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/abraham-verghese-1533_cancer_modern-society-has-evolved-to-the-point_1558693.jpg) > “Modern society has evolved to the point where we counter the old-fashioned fatalism surrounding the word 'cancer' by embracing the idea of the Uber-mind - that our will possesses nearly supernatural powers.” [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern society replaces fatalistic views of cancer with a belief in near‑supernatural willpower, termed the Uber‑mind. **In simple terms:** People now think willpower can nearly cure cancer. Key Takeaway Balance optimism with realistic medical expectations. Themes health mindset optimism Mood hopeful cautious Type medical psychological When to use this quote - patient counseling - public health messaging - support groups - educational workshops Key Concepts psychology placebo effect Questions to Reflect On - How does belief in willpower affect medical decisions? - What limits exist for mental influence on disease? A Different Perspective Relying solely on willpower can delay necessary treatment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Counter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counter/) [Embracing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embracing/) [Evolved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolved/) [Fashioned Fatalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashioned-fatalism-5842084/) [Fatalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fatalism/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-society/) [Nearly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nearly/) [Old fashioned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-fashioned/) [Our](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our/) [Point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point/) [Possesses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possesses/) [Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powers/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Society Evolved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-evolved-1772225/) [Supernatural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supernatural/) [Surrounding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrounding/) [Uber Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uber-mind-5842083/) [Where](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/where/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) [Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word/) ## Related quotes > [“The human society has evolved war as a cultural institution, like the science of astronomy, or mathematics. 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Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) [Browse all 3,177 Cancer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Modern society has evolved to the point where we counter the old-fashioned fatalism surrounding the word 'cancer' by embracing the idea of the Uber-mind - that our will possesses nearly supernatural powers.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Abraham Verghese" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/modern-society-has-evolved-to-the-point-where-we-counter-the-old/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cancer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/modern-society-has-evolved-to-the-point-where-we-counter-the-old/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/abraham-verghese-1533_cancer_modern-society-has-evolved-to-the-point_1558693.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/abraham-verghese-1533_cancer_modern-society-has-evolved-to-the-point_1558693.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/abraham-verghese-1533_cancer_modern-society-has-evolved-to-the-point_1558693.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Modern society has evolved to the point where we counter the old-fashioned fatalism surrounding the word…” — Abraham Verghese", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Abraham Verghese", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Modern society has evolved to the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/modern-society-has-evolved-to-the-point-where-we-counter-the-old/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/modern-society-has-evolved-to-the-point-where-we-counter-the-old/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```