Common Quote by Barry Commoner
“Despite the dazzling successes of modern technology and the unprecedented power of modern military systems, they suffer from a common and catastrophic fault. While providing us with a bountiful supply of food, with great industrial plants, with high-speed transportation, and with military weapons of unprecedented power, they threaten our very survival.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Closing Circle, Barry Commoner, 1971
Technological advances bring benefits but also create existential risks that can threaten humanity’s survival.
In simple terms: Tech brings both progress and danger.
Key Takeaway
Balance innovation with caution.
Themes
technology
risk
environment
Mood
concerned
urgent
Type
critical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- industrial planning
- food production
- military policy
- transport infrastructure
Key Concepts
sustainability
ethical engineering
Questions to Reflect On
- What safeguards can mitigate tech risks?
- How to align progress with planetary health?
A Different Perspective
Economic pressures often prioritize profit over safety.
![“Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a [Soviet socialistic] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants, lands, banks, means of transportation, etc., remain untouched there, and, therefore, capitalism in Germany and Italy…” quote by Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/411/joseph-stalin-1734_capitalism_neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-natio_1430.jpg)
