--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Although humankind inherently \"desires to…" description: "\"Although humankind inherently \"desires to know\", if open access to, and unlimited development of, knowledge henceforth puts us all in clear danger of e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/bill-joy-12281_access_although-humankind-inherently-desires-to_1515447.jpg" --- # Although humankind inherently "desires to know", if open… ![“Although humankind inherently "desires to know", if open access to, and unlimited development of, knowledge henceforth puts us all in clear danger of extinction, then common sense demands that we re-examine our reverence for knowledge.” quote by Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/bill-joy-12281_access_although-humankind-inherently-desires-to_1515447.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/bill-joy-12281_access_although-humankind-inherently-desires-to_1515447.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/bill-joy-12281_access_although-humankind-inherently-desires-to_1515447.jpg) > “Although humankind inherently "desires to know", if open access to, and unlimited development of, knowledge henceforth puts us all in clear danger of extinction, then common sense demands that we re-examine our reverence for knowledge.” [Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The drive for unlimited knowledge can become a threat, so we must reconsider our reverence for it. **In simple terms:** Unlimited knowledge may be dangerous; rethink its value. Key Takeaway Balance curiosity with caution. Themes technology risk ethics knowledge extinction Mood concerned thoughtful Type cautionary philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - research funding - education curricula - public debate - technology development Key Concepts existential risk information overload responsible innovation Questions to Reflect On - How can we harness knowledge safely? - What safeguards are realistic? A Different Perspective Unrestricted knowledge can also spur progress and solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Access](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/access/) [Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Extinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extinction/) [Humankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humankind/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Reverence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverence/) ## Related quotes > [My personal growth stems from the humility with which I navigate the world, namely with a reverence for all of the knowledge that I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gad-saad/my-personal-growth-stems-from-the-humility-with-which-i-navigate-the/) [Gad Saad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gad-saad/) > [Given the incredible power of these new technologies, shouldn't we be asking how we can best coexist with them? And if our own extinction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-joy/given-the-incredible-power-of-these-new-technologies-shouldn-t-we-be/) [Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/) > [Human rights' are a fine thing, but how can we make ourselves sure that our rights do not expand at the expense of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/human-rights-are-a-fine-thing-but-how-can-we-make-ourselves-sure-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Write this down: My life is full of unlimited possibilities -Pablo Valle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-valle/write-this-down-my-life-is-full-of-unlimited-possibilities-pablo-valle/) Pablo Valle > [“The prairie skies can always make you see more than what you believe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-burnett/the-prairie-skies-can-always-make-you-see-more-than-what-you-believe/) [Jackson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-burnett/) > [“The fact that you have unlimited texts does not necessarily mean that you cannot stop talking”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitry-dyatlov/the-fact-that-you-have-unlimited-texts-does-not-necessarily-mean-that/) [Dmitry Dyatlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitry-dyatlov/) > [The source that creates worlds always is creating and loving, and it excludes no one. 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William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [The central base of world political power is right here in America, and it is our corrupt political establishment that is the greatest power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-central-base-of-world-political-power-is-right-here-in-america/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Unobstructed access to facts can produce unlimited good only if it is matched by the desire and ability to find out what they mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/unobstructed-access-to-facts-can-produce-unlimited-good-only-if-it-is/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [My personal interest in ordinary people is unlimited, but I am fascinated by the challenge of portraying true greatness adequately with my camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yousuf-karsh/my-personal-interest-in-ordinary-people-is-unlimited-but-i-am/) [Yousuf Karsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yousuf-karsh/) ## More by Bill Joy > [I think the Macintosh proves that everyone can have a bitmapped display.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-joy/i-think-the-macintosh-proves-that-everyone-can-have-a-bitmapped/) [Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/) > [I started to write a new editor not too long ago and had it about half done after two days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-joy/i-started-to-write-a-new-editor-not-too-long-ago-and-had-it-about/) [Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/) > [Interleaf is very nice. I expect there to be a lot of competition for programs like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-joy/interleaf-is-very-nice-i-expect-there-to-be-a-lot-of-competition-for/) [Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/) > [I think one of the interesting things is that vi is really a mode-based editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-joy/i-think-one-of-the-interesting-things-is-that-vi-is-really-a-mode/) [Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/) > [The next step after cheap is free, and after free is disposable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-joy/the-next-step-after-cheap-is-free-and-after-free-is-disposable/) [Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/) > [“The new Pandora's boxes of genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics are almost open, yet we seem hardly to have noticed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-joy/the-new-pandora-s-boxes-of-genetics-nanotechnology-and-robotics-are/) [Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/) > [I was surprised about vi going in, though, I didn't know it was in System V.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-joy/i-was-surprised-about-vi-going-in-though-i-didn-t-know-it-was-in/) [Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/) > [Not all smart people work at Sun Microsystems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-joy/not-all-smart-people-work-at-sun-microsystems/) [Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/) > [So Chuck and I looked at that and we hacked on em for a while, and eventually we ripped the stuff out of em…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-joy/so-chuck-and-i-looked-at-that-and-we-hacked-on-em-for-a-while-and/) [Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/) > [Systems are going to get a lot more sophisticated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-joy/systems-are-going-to-get-a-lot-more-sophisticated/) [Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/) > [Take responsibility for the things you build and invent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-joy/take-responsibility-for-the-things-you-build-and-invent/) [Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/) > [The fundamental problem with vi is that it doesn't have a mouse and therefore you've got all these commands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-joy/the-fundamental-problem-with-vi-is-that-it-doesn-t-have-a-mouse-and/) [Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/) > [You can't prove anything about a program written in C or FØRTRAN. 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Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [You can disseminate your art, and it's all such easy access now. The upside to it is that more people are creating than ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-clarke/you-can-disseminate-your-art-and-it-s-all-such-easy-access-now-the/) [Stanley Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-clarke/) > [It's the same with this idea of a literate public, and also of a democracy in which people have access to and really read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/it-s-the-same-with-this-idea-of-a-literate-public-and-also-of-a/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [My hope is that if people have the knowledge, and if they actually see where their food comes from and have access to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/my-hope-is-that-if-people-have-the-knowledge-and-if-they-actually-see/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Leslie Stein's comics give readers privileged access to a complete and wholly original world of gently skewed wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-woodring/leslie-stein-s-comics-give-readers-privileged-access-to-a-complete/) [Jim Woodring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-woodring/) > [The best way to fight poverty is to empower people through access to quality education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/the-best-way-to-fight-poverty-is-to-empower-people-through-access-to/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Because the Internet's there, I have access to a lot of the legends, like Fela Kuti. I used to watch a lot of Fela…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-krule/because-the-internet-s-there-i-have-access-to-a-lot-of-the-legends/) [King Krule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-krule/) > [There needs to be some regime that is overseeing access to broadband to make sure we have openess; otherwise, there is a risk it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/there-needs-to-be-some-regime-that-is-overseeing-access-to-broadband/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [While it's wonderful that investors have access to all the data now available to them, it has become a full-time job to sift through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bartiromo/while-it-s-wonderful-that-investors-have-access-to-all-the-data-now/) [Maria Bartiromo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bartiromo/) > [It is truly vital for the United States to assure that it is not attacked with weapons of mass destruction; to prevent wars in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/it-is-truly-vital-for-the-united-states-to-assure-that-it-is-not/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Now that I'm more middle class, I have access to consumer goods. I do enjoy feminine frippery, feminine doo-da, stuff like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/now-that-i-m-more-middle-class-i-have-access-to-consumer-goods-i-do/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [Schools have never been about getting access to information. That's the job of libraries. Schools and universities have nobler missions as gentle gatekeepers. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-nikiforuk/schools-have-never-been-about-getting-access-to-information-that-s/) Andrew Nikiforuk > [To pray is to open the door unto Jesus and admit Him into your distress. 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