--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As the creators of sophisticated…" description: "\"“As the creators of sophisticated technologies, we have made ourselves increasingly machine-like; robotic servants of institutional systems we have bee..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/butler-shaffer-45518_ask-questions_as-the-creators-of-sophisticated-technol_2599005.jpg" --- # As the creators of sophisticated technologies, we have… ![“As the creators of sophisticated technologies, we have made ourselves increasingly machine-like; robotic servants of institutional systems we have been conditioned to revere, whose purposes we neither understand nor control, and of which we are afraid to ask questions. Our corporate-state world…” quote by Butler Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/butler-shaffer-45518_ask-questions_as-the-creators-of-sophisticated-technol_2599005.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/butler-shaffer-45518_ask-questions_as-the-creators-of-sophisticated-technol_2599005.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e99/butler-shaffer-45518_ask-questions_as-the-creators-of-sophisticated-technol_2599005.jpg) > ““As the creators of sophisticated technologies, we have made ourselves increasingly machine-like; robotic servants of institutional systems we have been conditioned to revere, whose purposes we neither understand nor control, and of which we are afraid to ask questions. Our corporate-state world plunders, enslaves, controls and destroys us, all in the name of advancing our liberty and material well-being. Most of us are dominated by an unfocused fear of uncertainty, a longing for the security of emptiness.”” [Butler Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butler-shaffer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Technological progress makes us obedient to opaque systems, creating fear and a desire for false security. **In simple terms:** Tech makes us like robots, fearing uncertainty. Key Takeaway Question and understand the systems you serve. Themes technology control fear uncertainty Mood cautious critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - workplace - government policy - personal finance - digital privacy Key Concepts critical theory psychology political economy Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of technology do you accept without question? - How can you reclaim autonomy? A Different Perspective Complex systems are hard to grasp, limiting agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ask questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-questions/) [Control Afraid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control-afraid-1927242/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear Uncertainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-uncertainty-272335/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Increasingly Machine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/increasingly-machine-1927241/) [Longing Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing-security-1927240/) [Robotics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robotics/) [Uncertainty Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncertainty-longing-1927243/) ## Related quotes > [I wonder what the difference between love and control is, but I'm afraid to look those words up in a dictionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-sampsell/i-wonder-what-the-difference-between-love-and-control-is-but-i-m/) [Kevin Sampsell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-sampsell/) > [The shadow of fear and uncertainty lies over most of us; for us the future seems far from being as clear and open as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-baldwin/the-shadow-of-fear-and-uncertainty-lies-over-most-of-us-for-us-the/) [Faith Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-baldwin/) > [“She hoped to understand the feelings that had sprouted and continued to grow inside her human shell. 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If you run you stand a chance of losing, but if you don't run you've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/fear-uncertainty-and-discomfort-are-your-compasses-toward-growth-if/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More by Butler Shaffer > [The state has, in order to control us, introduced division into our thinking, so that we come to distrust others and look to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butler-shaffer/the-state-has-in-order-to-control-us-introduced-division-into-our/) [Butler Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butler-shaffer/) > [“The problem with all of this, as historians advise us, is that the institutionalization of the systems that produce the values upon which a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butler-shaffer/the-problem-with-all-of-this-as-historians-advise-us-is-that-the/) [Butler Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butler-shaffer/) > [“The origins of any productive system seem to be traceable to conditions in which the self-interest driven purposes of individuals are allowed expression. 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Use the :) face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rules-for-texting-a-girl-1-don-t-take-40-minutes-to-reply-2-use-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 828 Ask questions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-questions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As the creators of sophisticated technologies, we have made ourselves increasingly machine-like; robotic servants of institutional systems we have been conditioned to revere, whose purposes we neither understand nor control, and of which we are afraid to ask questions. Our corporate-state world plunders, enslaves, controls and destroys us, all in the name of advancing our liberty and material well-being. 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