--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Morally, the world is both better and…" description: "\"Morally, the world is both better and worse than it was. We are worse off than in the middle ages, or the 17th and 18th centuries, in that we have the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/pierre-schaeffer-24925_better_morally-the-world-is-both-better-and-wor_1136650.jpg" --- # Morally, the world is both better and worse than it was… ![“Morally, the world is both better and worse than it was. We are worse off than in the middle ages, or the 17th and 18th centuries, in that we have the atomic menace.” quote by Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/pierre-schaeffer-24925_better_morally-the-world-is-both-better-and-wor_1136650.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/pierre-schaeffer-24925_better_morally-the-world-is-both-better-and-wor_1136650.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/pierre-schaeffer-24925_better_morally-the-world-is-both-better-and-wor_1136650.jpg) > “Morally, the world is both better and worse than it was. We are worse off than in the middle ages, or the 17th and 18th centuries, in that we have the atomic menace.” [Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The world has improved in many ways but also faces new, severe dangers like nuclear weapons that earlier eras did not have. **In simple terms:** Progress and new risks coexist. Key Takeaway Recognize and address modern existential threats. Themes technology ethics history risk progress Mood concerned reflective Type analytical critical When to use this quote - policy making - public awareness - education on nuclear issues Key Concepts existential risk technological advancement historical comparison Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance optimism about progress with vigilance about new threats? - What responsibilities do we have to mitigate atomic risks? A Different Perspective The quote may overstate current dangers compared to past hardships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Middle ages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-ages/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [There is always someone in the world who is better or worse off than yourself, and I've never seen that - in either direction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jools-holland/there-is-always-someone-in-the-world-who-is-better-or-worse-off-than/) [Jools Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jools-holland/) > [In Bach there is still too much crude Christianity, crude Germanism, crude scholasticism; he stands on the threshold of European (modern) music, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-bach-there-is-still-too-much-crude-christianity-crude-germanism/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The philosophers of the Middle Ages demonstrated both that the Earth did not exist and also that it was flat. Today they are still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilhjalmur-stefansson/the-philosophers-of-the-middle-ages-demonstrated-both-that-the-earth/) [Vilhjalmur Stefansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilhjalmur-stefansson/) > [We often forget that Spain controlled big parts of Europe, in Italy and the Netherlands. In the Middle Ages, Spain and Portugal were so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-fisher/we-often-forget-that-spain-controlled-big-parts-of-europe-in-italy/) [Max Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-fisher/) > [Programming is how we talk to the machines that are increasingly woven into our lives. If you aren't a programmer, you're like one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/programming-is-how-we-talk-to-the-machines-that-are-increasingly/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hervey-allen/only-the-middle-aged-have-all-their-five-senses-in-the-keeping-of/) [Hervey Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hervey-allen/) > [I have never yet heard any middle-aged man or woman who worked with his or her brains express any regret for the passing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/i-have-never-yet-heard-any-middle-aged-man-or-woman-who-worked-with/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [A man's diary is a record in youth of his sentiments, in middle age of his actions, in old age of his reflections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/a-man-s-diary-is-a-record-in-youth-of-his-sentiments-in-middle-age-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [What folly made young people, even those in middle age, think they were immortal? How much better, their lives, if they could remember the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohinton-mistry/what-folly-made-young-people-even-those-in-middle-age-think-they-were/) [Rohinton Mistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohinton-mistry/) > [“They are not brave, the days when we are twenty-one. They are full of little cowardices, little fears without foundation, and one is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/they-are-not-brave-the-days-when-we-are-twenty-one-they-are-full-of/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [As a precocious teen I dreamed of being Graham Greene. Well, as it turned out, I never wrote a great novel, sadly, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-burchill/as-a-precocious-teen-i-dreamed-of-being-graham-greene-well-as-it/) [Julie Burchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-burchill/) > [Astrology is knocking at the gates of our universities: A Tübingen professor has switched over to astrology and a course on astrology was given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/astrology-is-knocking-at-the-gates-of-our-universities-a-t-bingen/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [I’m 59 and people call me middle aged. How many 118 year old men do you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-cryer/i-m-59-and-people-call-me-middle-aged-how-many-118-year-old-men-do/) [Barry Cryer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-cryer/) > [The goal of the operation is to send Gaza back to the Middle Ages, only then will Israel be calm for the next 40 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ben-ari/the-goal-of-the-operation-is-to-send-gaza-back-to-the-middle-ages/) Michael Ben-Ari > [Well, He had known what love was-a sharp pang, a fierce experience, in the midst of whose flames he was struggling! but, through that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/well-he-had-known-what-love-was-a-sharp-pang-a-fierce-experience-in/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) ## More by Pierre Schaeffer > [The only hope is that our civilization will collapse at a certain point, as always happens in history. Then, out of barbarity, a renaissance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/the-only-hope-is-that-our-civilization-will-collapse-at-a-certain/) [Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) > [First, it doesn't surprise me that traditional music has experienced a kind of exhaustion in the 20th century - not forgetting that many musicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/first-it-doesn-t-surprise-me-that-traditional-music-has-experienced-a/) [Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) > [Sound is the vocabulary of nature... noises are as well articulated as the words in a dictionary... Opposing the world of sound is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/sound-is-the-vocabulary-of-nature-noises-are-as-well-articulated-as/) [Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) > [People who share the same language, French or Chinese or whatever, have the same vocal cords and emit sounds which are basically the same,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/people-who-share-the-same-language-french-or-chinese-or-whatever-have/) [Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) > [Has it struck you that the music which is regarded as the most sublime in western civilization, which is the music of Bach, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/has-it-struck-you-that-the-music-which-is-regarded-as-the-most/) [Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) > [I was horrified by modern 12-tone music. I said to myself, 'Maybe I can find something different... maybe salvation, liberation, is possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/i-was-horrified-by-modern-12-tone-music-i-said-to-myself-maybe-i-can/) [Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) > [Barbarians always think of themselves as the bringers of civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/barbarians-always-think-of-themselves-as-the-bringers-of-civilization/) [Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) > [Noises have generally been thought of as indistinct, but this is not true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/noises-have-generally-been-thought-of-as-indistinct-but-this-is-not/) [Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) > [Sound is the vocabulary of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/sound-is-the-vocabulary-of-nature/) [Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) > [The world has just got more dangerous because the things we use have got more dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/the-world-has-just-got-more-dangerous-because-the-things-we-use-have/) [Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) > [It's ridiculous that time and time again we need a radioactive cloud coming out of a nuclear power-station to remind us that atomic energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/it-s-ridiculous-that-time-and-time-again-we-need-a-radioactive-cloud/) [Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) > [I'm very aware of what you're talking about as I was involved with the radio in Africa in the same period as I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/i-m-very-aware-of-what-you-re-talking-about-as-i-was-involved-with/) [Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) > [People who try to create a musical revolution do not have a chance, but those who turn their back to music can sometimes find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/people-who-try-to-create-a-musical-revolution-do-not-have-a-chance/) [Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) > [The moment at which music reveals its true nature is contained in the ancient exercise of the theme with variations. The complete mystery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/the-moment-at-which-music-reveals-its-true-nature-is-contained-in-the/) [Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) > [The whole problem of the sound-work is distancing oneself from the dramatic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/the-whole-problem-of-the-sound-work-is-distancing-oneself-from-the/) [Pierre Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) [Explore all 23 Pierre Schaeffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/) ## More Better quotes > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [Everybody has their cliques, and I was very shy. I'm still very shy. Music opened up doors. I would get to my choir class,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-fonsi/everybody-has-their-cliques-and-i-was-very-shy-i-m-still-very-shy/) [Luis Fonsi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-fonsi/) > [You can't force people to feel in a certain way, and the sooner you understand that,the better. I feel everything has its way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidharth-malhotra/you-can-t-force-people-to-feel-in-a-certain-way-and-the-sooner-you/) [Sidharth Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidharth-malhotra/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [The bigger the canvas, the better I do. I'm not so good at understated, kitchen-sink kinds of parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/the-bigger-the-canvas-the-better-i-do-i-m-not-so-good-at-understated/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [The Little you Give !! The Better it Gets !!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-stanyer/the-little-you-give-the-better-it-gets/) [Mario Stanyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-stanyer/) > [A strong, durable Puerto Rican economy will leave the island better prepared to handle future natural disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/a-strong-durable-puerto-rican-economy-will-leave-the-island-better/) [Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/) > [In my first 100 days as Ontario's Minister of Transportation, I found a willing municipal partner in the City of Toronto that shares our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-mulroney/in-my-first-100-days-as-ontario-s-minister-of-transportation-i-found/) [Caroline Mulroney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-mulroney/) > [It hasn't been a conscious thing, like, 'I don't want to listen to a bunch of dudes,' but I genuinely like music by women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soccer-mommy/it-hasn-t-been-a-conscious-thing-like-i-don-t-want-to-listen-to-a/) [Soccer Mommy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soccer-mommy/) > [Life is going to hit you some line drives, and sometimes you'll have to think fast. However, it's better to think first than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/life-is-going-to-hit-you-some-line-drives-and-sometimes-you-ll-have/) [John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/) > [I like to collaborate with other people for studio recordings because I believe collaboration, in any form, makes music better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/i-like-to-collaborate-with-other-people-for-studio-recordings-because/) [Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [Not having drops and not taking plays off, if I do that it will make everyone around me better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demaryius-thomas/not-having-drops-and-not-taking-plays-off-if-i-do-that-it-will-make/) [Demaryius Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demaryius-thomas/) > [Cara Delevingne and I took an eyebrow selfie. We both have prominent eyebrows, but hers are much better than mine. Maybe we should do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-poulter/cara-delevingne-and-i-took-an-eyebrow-selfie-we-both-have-prominent/) [Will Poulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-poulter/) > [I never really look at it past one year. I look at last year and my whole goal is to be a better player…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-williams/i-never-really-look-at-it-past-one-year-i-look-at-last-year-and-my/) [Trent Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-williams/) Browse all 17,085 Better quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Morally, the world is both better and worse than it was. We are worse off than in the middle ages, or the 17th and 18th centuries, in that we have the atomic menace.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pierre Schaeffer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/morally-the-world-is-both-better-and-worse-than-it-was-we-are-worse/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Better" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/morally-the-world-is-both-better-and-worse-than-it-was-we-are-worse/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/pierre-schaeffer-24925_better_morally-the-world-is-both-better-and-wor_1136650.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/pierre-schaeffer-24925_better_morally-the-world-is-both-better-and-wor_1136650.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f65/pierre-schaeffer-24925_better_morally-the-world-is-both-better-and-wor_1136650.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Morally, the world is both better and worse than it was. We are worse off than in the middle ages, or the…” — Pierre Schaeffer", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Pierre Schaeffer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-schaeffer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Morally, the world is both better...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/morally-the-world-is-both-better-and-worse-than-it-was-we-are-worse/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-schaeffer/morally-the-world-is-both-better-and-worse-than-it-was-we-are-worse/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```