Discovery Quote by Martin Rees
““Almost any applicable discovery has a potential for evil as well as for good.””
About This Quote
Every discovery can be used for good or evil, highlighting dual‑use potential.
In simple terms: Discoveries have both benefits and risks.
Key Takeaway
Weigh ethical implications.
Themes
science
ethics
responsibility
Mood
concerned
thoughtful
Type
ethical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- research
- policy making
- innovation
Key Concepts
dual‑use technology
risk assessment
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we mitigate harmful uses?
- What safeguards are needed?
A Different Perspective
Predicting misuse is hard.
![“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)
![“[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)
