Discovery Quote by Margaret Mead
“Sometimes, instead of helping people to advance, a discovery or an invention holds them back.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Cultural Patterns, 1950
Innovations can unintentionally hinder progress by creating new dependencies.
In simple terms: Inventions may hold people back.
Key Takeaway
Assess impact before adopting tech.
Themes
technology
progress
dependency
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- policy making
- product design
- education curricula
Key Concepts
unintended consequences
social change
Questions to Reflect On
- When does tech help vs. hinder?
- How to balance innovation with caution?
A Different Perspective
Not all inventions are detrimental; many empower.
![“Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then [these?], any man might instantly use what another had invented; so that the inventor had no special advantage from his own invention. The patent system changed this…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/449/abraham-lincoln-88_adoption_next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in_1828.jpg)
![“One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and not be held responsible. [Cultural Factors in the Cause of Pathological Homicide. Bulletin of Menninger Clinic ]” quote by Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2f6/margaret-mead-982_animal-cruelty_one-of-the-most-dangerous-things-that-ca_126314.jpg)
![“[W]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range of music, and will not vibrate in the least under a touch that fills others with tremulous rapture or quivering agony.” quote by George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9be/george-eliot-84_agony_w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves_12409.jpg)
![“That has been another interesting discovery: that basically a city [Lagos] could recover from a really deep, deep, deep pit.” quote by Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/61e/rem-koolhaas-5371_cities_that-has-been-another-interesting-discov_15915.jpg)
