--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Historically, the idea that you take…" description: "\"Historically, the idea that you take something novel and you break it has been seen as the ultimate rejection of Enlightenment values, of progress, of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/sheila-jasanoff-50194_break_historically-the-idea-that-you-take-some_2270266.jpg" --- # Historically, the idea that you take something novel and… ![“Historically, the idea that you take something novel and you break it has been seen as the ultimate rejection of Enlightenment values, of progress, of civilization - because how could you possibly move forward if you break technology? I think that that misses the point, that if you introduce any…” quote by Sheila Jasanoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/sheila-jasanoff-50194_break_historically-the-idea-that-you-take-some_2270266.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/sheila-jasanoff-50194_break_historically-the-idea-that-you-take-some_2270266.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/376/sheila-jasanoff-50194_break_historically-the-idea-that-you-take-some_2270266.jpg) > “Historically, the idea that you take something novel and you break it has been seen as the ultimate rejection of Enlightenment values, of progress, of civilization - because how could you possibly move forward if you break technology? I think that that misses the point, that if you introduce any kind of technology, what you're introducing is a new way of living and the consequences of that new way of living for people who were enmeshed in a different way of living need to be thought through.” [Sheila Jasanoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-jasanoff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Introducing new technology reshapes daily life, demanding careful consideration of its impact on existing social practices. **In simple terms:** Technology changes how we live, so we must think about its effects. Key Takeaway Consider social consequences before adopting tech. Themes technology society ethics change progress Mood reflective concerned Type analytical critical When to use this quote - urban planning - healthcare rollout - education reform - policy making Key Concepts social impact technological determinism cultural adaptation Questions to Reflect On - How does a new tool alter everyday routines? - What responsibilities do designers have to existing communities? A Different Perspective May overlook benefits of disruption or underestimate adaptation capacity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Enlightenment Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment-values-1648824/) [Historically Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historically-idea-5258413/) [Idea Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-novel-285868/) [Introducing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/introducing/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Missing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing/) [Move forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/move-forward/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Moving forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-forward/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Rejection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rejection/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Technology Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology-think-1669733/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Ultimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimate/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Way of living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-living/) ## Related quotes > [Flawed as they may be, science and the secular Enlightenment values expressed in Western democracies are our best hope for survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/flawed-as-they-may-be-science-and-the-secular-enlightenment-values/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [One of the greatest gifts a caring teacher can contribute to children is to help them learn to sit when they feel like running,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-wong/one-of-the-greatest-gifts-a-caring-teacher-can-contribute-to-children/) [Harry Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-wong/) > [My experience is that an original and compelling idea for a novel is a rare thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thayer/my-experience-is-that-an-original-and-compelling-idea-for-a-novel-is/) [James Thayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thayer/) > [I have a really good idea for a novel and would like to just kind of try my hand at fiction. I'm starting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/i-have-a-really-good-idea-for-a-novel-and-would-like-to-just-kind-of/) [Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/) > [The idea for a novel is like a little tiny fire in a dark night. And, one by one, the characters come and stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-for-a-novel-is-like-a-little-tiny-fire-in-a-dark-night-and/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I had reached a point in my career in which I was ready to try something new in my writing, and the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/i-had-reached-a-point-in-my-career-in-which-i-was-ready-to-try/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [I got the idea for my novel 'Lord of Light' when I cut myself shaving just before I was to go on a panel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/i-got-the-idea-for-my-novel-lord-of-light-when-i-cut-myself-shaving/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [A short story is one idea; a novel is a whole soup of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/a-short-story-is-one-idea-a-novel-is-a-whole-soup-of-them/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [If only a group of people were more important to me than the idea of a Novel, I might begin a novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/if-only-a-group-of-people-were-more-important-to-me-than-the-idea-of/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [I've never discovered the idea for my next novel while I was still working on the current novel. Other writers don't suffer this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thayer/i-ve-never-discovered-the-idea-for-my-next-novel-while-i-was-still/) [James Thayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thayer/) > [I don't take notes. I don't have any notebooks. I keep on trying to do that because it seems like a very writerly thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-don-t-take-notes-i-don-t-have-any-notebooks-i-keep-on-trying-to-do/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [Working on the plot/story idea for my next novel ... It always takes time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/working-on-the-plot-story-idea-for-my-next-novel-it-always-takes-time/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“You spend hours wrestling with yourself, trying to keep your vision intact, your intensity undiminished. Sometimes I have to stick my head under the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-spend-hours-wrestling-with-yourself-trying-to-keep-your-vision/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [But once an idea for a novel seizes a writer...well, it’s like an inner fire that at first warms you and makes you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-once-an-idea-for-a-novel-seizes-a-writer-well-it-s-like-an-inner/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [The government is right to recognise the importance of science and technology, but I think it is a mistake to ringfence funds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/the-government-is-right-to-recognise-the-importance-of-science-and/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) ## More by Sheila Jasanoff > [I'm all in favor of being able to imagine new frontiers with the aid of technologies, but I want a more compassionate approach that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-jasanoff/i-m-all-in-favor-of-being-able-to-imagine-new-frontiers-with-the-aid/) [Sheila Jasanoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-jasanoff/) > [Climate change is there as a reminder that we can get richer and safer societies that are also consuming more and more to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-jasanoff/climate-change-is-there-as-a-reminder-that-we-can-get-richer-and/) [Sheila Jasanoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-jasanoff/) > [I want a society in which we don't throw things and people away with quite the abandon we do, especially people. This is why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-jasanoff/i-want-a-society-in-which-we-don-t-throw-things-and-people-away-with/) [Sheila Jasanoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-jasanoff/) > [I am kind of a sucker for democracy, so I do think that what kinds of citizens we have in our societies are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-jasanoff/i-am-kind-of-a-sucker-for-democracy-so-i-do-think-that-what-kinds-of/) [Sheila Jasanoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-jasanoff/) > [I'm trying to make people more alert that mere acceptance isn't a good enough indicator that something is ethical. You actually need to stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-jasanoff/i-m-trying-to-make-people-more-alert-that-mere-acceptance-isn-t-a/) [Sheila Jasanoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-jasanoff/) > [We need a more widely shared burden on the part of society to keep asking, "What are our collective values, what kind of world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-jasanoff/we-need-a-more-widely-shared-burden-on-the-part-of-society-to-keep/) [Sheila Jasanoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-jasanoff/) [Explore all 7 Sheila Jasanoff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-jasanoff/) ## More Break quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Things are going well in Germany because the economy is booming and as an export-driven nation, we are profiting from the fact that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/things-are-going-well-in-germany-because-the-economy-is-booming-and/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/your-pain-is-the-breaking-of-the-shell-that-encloses-your/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I hadn't worked for a year when I had my Prison Break audition and it was the easiest audition I've ever had. I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-hadn-t-worked-for-a-year-when-i-had-my-prison-break-audition-and-it/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [If you strike upon a thought that baffles you, break off from that entanglement and try another, so shall your wits be fresh to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/if-you-strike-upon-a-thought-that-baffles-you-break-off-from-that/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [“A hole ain’t nothing either, but you can still break your neck in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-donati/a-hole-ain-t-nothing-either-but-you-can-still-break-your-neck-in-it/) [Sara Donati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-donati/) > [“I break things, a lot of things, but I don’t want one of them to be you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-break-things-a-lot-of-things-but-i-don-t-want-one-of-them-to-be-you/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Motor racing's less of a sport these days than a commercial break doing 150 mph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dunne/motor-racing-s-less-of-a-sport-these-days-than-a-commercial-break/) [Peter Dunne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dunne/) > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/) [Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/) > [Never break another man's rice bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akio-morita/never-break-another-man-s-rice-bowl/) [Akio Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akio-morita/) [Browse all 8,188 Break quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Historically, the idea that you take something novel and you break it has been seen as the ultimate rejection of Enlightenment values, of progress, of civilization - because how could you possibly move forward if you break technology? 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