--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The real problem of humanity is the…" description: "\"The real problem of humanity is the following: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and god-like technology. And it is terrifically dan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/544/e-o-wilson-1348_crisis_the-real-problem-of-humanity-is-the-foll_2599046.png" --- # The real problem of humanity is the following: we have… ![“The real problem of humanity is the following: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and god-like technology. And it is terrifically dangerous, and it is now approaching a point of crisis overall.” quote by E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/544/e-o-wilson-1348_crisis_the-real-problem-of-humanity-is-the-foll_2599046.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/544/e-o-wilson-1348_crisis_the-real-problem-of-humanity-is-the-foll_2599046.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/544/e-o-wilson-1348_crisis_the-real-problem-of-humanity-is-the-foll_2599046.png) > “The real problem of humanity is the following: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and god-like technology. And it is terrifically dangerous, and it is now approaching a point of crisis overall.” [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) This quote is also attributed to [Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/) in other sources. Attributions for famous quotes are often disputed. ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human emotions, outdated institutions, and advanced tech create a dangerous mismatch. **In simple terms:** Old emotions clash with modern tech. Key Takeaway Adapt institutions to contemporary reality. Themes technology emotion institution risk evolution Mood concerned urgent Type philosophical policy When to use this quote - policy making - education reform - tech governance Key Concepts anthropology future studies ethics Questions to Reflect On - How can we modernize institutions? - What role should emotions play in tech? A Different Perspective Technology can also empower humanity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Medieval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medieval/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Real problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-problems/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [“The real problem of humanity is the following: We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions and godlike technology. And it is terrifically dangerous, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/the-real-problem-of-humanity-is-the-following-we-have-paleolithic/) [Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/) > [We think there is an ecological problem, but the real problem is irresponsible growth of human population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/we-think-there-is-an-ecological-problem-but-the-real-problem-is/) [Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/) > [The only real problem in life is what to do next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/the-only-real-problem-in-life-is-what-to-do-next/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [The problem with working with a coach isn't that we don't know what to do. The real problem is that we don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-problem-with-working-with-a-coach-isn-t-that-we-don-t-know-what/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The real problem is the total capitulation of German social democracy to capitalism, reflected and symbolized by actual extreme center coalition governments in Germany,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/the-real-problem-is-the-total-capitulation-of-german-social-democracy/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [The only real problem in your life is how you're using your mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-keyes-jr/the-only-real-problem-in-your-life-is-how-you-re-using-your-mind/) [Ken Keyes Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-keyes-jr/) > [I know that people who have been closely involved with my work for many years are terrified of having to answer to someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-armani/i-know-that-people-who-have-been-closely-involved-with-my-work-for/) [Giorgio Armani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-armani/) > [Our idea of a real problem is someone else's idea of an ultimate dream. Put the 'problem' in perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/our-idea-of-a-real-problem-is-someone-else-s-idea-of-an-ultimate/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [The real problem is, people think life is a ladder, and it's really a wheel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/the-real-problem-is-people-think-life-is-a-ladder-and-it-s-really-a/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [Science has brought forth this danger, but the real problem is in the minds and hearts of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/science-has-brought-forth-this-danger-but-the-real-problem-is-in-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Our conflict is in relationship, at all levels of our existence; and the understanding of this relationship, completely and extensively, is the only real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/our-conflict-is-in-relationship-at-all-levels-of-our-existence-and/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [In other words, the real problem is not exterior. The real problem is interior. The real problem is how to get people to internally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/in-other-words-the-real-problem-is-not-exterior-the-real-problem-is/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [The real problem of leisure time is how to keep others from using yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-lacey/the-real-problem-of-leisure-time-is-how-to-keep-others-from-using/) Arthur Lacey > [The real problem is that the financial base for our social security system is shrinking because the number of normal jobs is falling. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/the-real-problem-is-that-the-financial-base-for-our-social-security/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [The real problem with the IRS is that they let General Electric not pay any taxes -- and 50 other corporations -- that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/the-real-problem-with-the-irs-is-that-they-let-general-electric-not/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) ## More by E. O. Wilson > [Without a trace of irony I can say I have been blessed with brilliant enemies. I owe them a great debt, because they redoubled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/without-a-trace-of-irony-i-can-say-i-have-been-blessed-with-brilliant/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [It's always been a dream of mine, of exploring the living world, of classifying all the species and finding out what makes up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/it-s-always-been-a-dream-of-mine-of-exploring-the-living-world-of/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Competing is intense among humans, and within a group, selfish individuals always win. But in contests between groups, groups of altruists always beat groups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/competing-is-intense-among-humans-and-within-a-group-selfish/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [When all else fails, men turn to reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/when-all-else-fails-men-turn-to-reason/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [The commitment must be much deeper - to let no species knowingly die; to take all reasonable action to protect every species and race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-commitment-must-be-much-deeper-to-let-no-species-knowingly-die-to/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Science is not marginal. Like art, it is a universal possession of humanity, and scientific knowledge has become a vital part of our species'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/science-is-not-marginal-like-art-it-is-a-universal-possession-of/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [The living environment is the biosphere, the thin layer around the world of living organisms. We're part of that. Our existence is dependent on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-living-environment-is-the-biosphere-the-thin-layer-around-the/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [The biological evolutionary perception of life and of human qualities is radically different from that of traditional religion, whether it's Southern Baptist or Islam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-biological-evolutionary-perception-of-life-and-of-human-qualities/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [We should preserve every scrap of biodiversity as priceless while we learn to use it and come to understand what it means to humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/we-should-preserve-every-scrap-of-biodiversity-as-priceless-while-we/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [In many environments, take away the ants and there would be partial collapses in many of the land ecosystems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/in-many-environments-take-away-the-ants-and-there-would-be-partial/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [If those committed to the quest fail, they will be forgiven. When lost, they will find another way. The moral imperative of humanism is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/if-those-committed-to-the-quest-fail-they-will-be-forgiven-when-lost/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [The extinctions ongoing worldwide promise to be at least as great as the mass extinction that occurred at the end of the age of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-extinctions-ongoing-worldwide-promise-to-be-at-least-as-great-as/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Most people are surprised when they hear my somber figures: we know of 2 million species of plants, animals and microorganisms, and we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/most-people-are-surprised-when-they-hear-my-somber-figures-we-know-of/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Because the living environment is what really sustains us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/because-the-living-environment-is-what-really-sustains-us/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [The variety of genes on the planet in viruses exceeds, or is likely to exceed, that in all of the rest of life combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-variety-of-genes-on-the-planet-in-viruses-exceeds-or-is-likely-to/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) [Explore all 253 E. O. Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) ## More Crisis quotes > [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [The crisis of our diminishing water resources is just as severe (if less obviously immediate) as any wartime crisis we have ever faced. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wright/the-crisis-of-our-diminishing-water-resources-is-just-as-severe-if/) Jim Wright > [It is popular to call it a crisis of the Western world. It is in fact a crisis of the whole world. Communism, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/it-is-popular-to-call-it-a-crisis-of-the-western-world-it-is-in-fact/) [Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/) > [The financial crisis we are facing today arises from the fact that there is almost no more social, cultural, natural, and spiritual capital left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-financial-crisis-we-are-facing-today-arises-from-the-fact-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [In a couple of decades you have half of the wells that are drilled right now, and you're talking about numbers in the millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/in-a-couple-of-decades-you-have-half-of-the-wells-that-are-drilled/) [Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/) > [Disasters affect every state, and North Carolinians have given our own tax dollars to help neighbors and those in other states in times of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-cooper/disasters-affect-every-state-and-north-carolinians-have-given-our-own/) [Roy Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-cooper/) > [Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. Each of us, to relieve his feelings, broadcasts his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/things-happen-too-quickly-crisis-follows-crisis-the-soil-of-our-minds/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [When this coronavirus crisis is over, what kind of society will we be? A more important question is what kind of society do we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-lucas/when-this-coronavirus-crisis-is-over-what-kind-of-society-will-we-be/) [Caroline Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-lucas/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [The turning points of lives are not the great moments. 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And not just villages, we want everyone to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/urbanisation-is-not-a-crisis-but-an-opportunity-seeing-it-as-a-crisis/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) [Browse all 3,419 Crisis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The real problem of humanity is the following: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and god-like technology. And it is terrifically dangerous, and it is now approaching a point of crisis overall.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "E. O. 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