--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In this world, progress is for our…" description: "\"“In this world, progress is for our descendants alone. They will have more of a chance than we did. All the beautiful things ever seen on our world hav..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/eliot-weinberger-56941_life_in-this-world-progress-is-for-our-descen_1722999.jpg" --- # In this world, progress is for our descendants alone. They… ![“In this world, progress is for our descendants alone. They will have more of a chance than we did. All the beautiful things ever seen on our world have, of course, already been seen—are being seen at this instant and will always be seen—by our descendants, and by their doubles who have preceded…” quote by Eliot Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/eliot-weinberger-56941_life_in-this-world-progress-is-for-our-descen_1722999.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/eliot-weinberger-56941_life_in-this-world-progress-is-for-our-descen_1722999.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1e/eliot-weinberger-56941_life_in-this-world-progress-is-for-our-descen_1722999.jpg) > ““In this world, progress is for our descendants alone. They will have more of a chance than we did. All the beautiful things ever seen on our world have, of course, already been seen—are being seen at this instant and will always be seen—by our descendants, and by their doubles who have preceded and will follow them. Scions of a finer humanity, they have already mocked and reviled our existence on dead worlds, while overtaking and succeeding us. They continue to scorn us on the living worlds from which we have disappeared, and their contempt for us will have no end on the worlds to come.”” [Eliot Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-weinberger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage suggests that future generations will experience and appreciate the world’s beauty, while our current existence is mocked by them, implying a cyclical view of existence and legacy. **In simple terms:** Future people will see the world’s wonders, possibly ridiculing our time. Key Takeaway Consider the impact of our actions on future generations. Themes legacy future humanity existence perspective Mood thoughtful philosophical Type essay speculative When to use this quote - environmental policy - space exploration - cultural preservation - intergenerational dialogue Key Concepts philosophy cosmology ethics anthropology Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do we have to those who come after? - How might future perspectives differ? A Different Perspective Assumes future beings will share our values and perceptions, which may not hold. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Humanity Mocked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity-mocked-1357293/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Progress Descendants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress-descendants-1357291/) [Seen Descendants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seen-descendants-1357294/) [World Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-progress-646938/) [Worlds Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worlds-come-1357292/) ## Related quotes > [When we discover New Earth - a planet we could call home - the question of the 'plurality of worlds' will come front and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimitar-sasselov/when-we-discover-new-earth-a-planet-we-could-call-home-the-question/) [Dimitar Sasselov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimitar-sasselov/) > [“There would be times in the years to come when he ( Murphy ) would accompany me back and forth between the two worlds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-carman/there-would-be-times-in-the-years-to-come-when-he-murphy-would/) [Patrick Carman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-carman/) > [I don't think it's too late for 'The War of the Worlds' to come true. 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Beveridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-j-beveridge/) > [Americans have been selling this view around the world: that progress comes from perfect protection of intellectual property.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/americans-have-been-selling-this-view-around-the-world-that-progress/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [It is only through imagination that men become aware of what the world might be; without it, ‘progress’ would become mechanical and trivial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/it-is-only-through-imagination-that-men-become-aware-of-what-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) ## More by Eliot Weinberger > [Translation is not appropriation, as is sometimes claimed; it is a form of listening that then changes how you speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-weinberger/translation-is-not-appropriation-as-is-sometimes-claimed-it-is-a-form/) [Eliot Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-weinberger/) > [“He invited the Indian scholar Paramartha to come and set up a Translation Bureau for Buddhist texts, and the scholar stayed for twenty-three years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-weinberger/he-invited-the-indian-scholar-paramartha-to-come-and-set-up-a/) [Eliot Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-weinberger/) > [“What is WIND and what is BONE have never been conclusively determined by the generations of Chinese critics, but what is certain, according to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-weinberger/what-is-wind-and-what-is-bone-have-never-been-conclusively-determined/) [Eliot Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-weinberger/) > [“Hear the wind and you will know the wind. 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