--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Humanity has in the course of time had to…" description: "\"“Humanity has in the course of time had to endure from the hands of science two great outrages upon its naive self-love. The first was when it realized..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/sigmund-freud-360_center-of-the-univer_humanity-has-in-the-course-of-time-had-t_1120135.jpg" --- # Humanity has in the course of time had to endure from the… ![“Humanity has in the course of time had to endure from the hands of science two great outrages upon its naive self-love. The first was when it realized that our earth was not the center of the universe, but only a tiny speck in a world-system of a magnitude hardly conceivable; this is associated in…” quote by Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/sigmund-freud-360_center-of-the-univer_humanity-has-in-the-course-of-time-had-t_1120135.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/sigmund-freud-360_center-of-the-univer_humanity-has-in-the-course-of-time-had-t_1120135.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/sigmund-freud-360_center-of-the-univer_humanity-has-in-the-course-of-time-had-t_1120135.jpg) > ““Humanity has in the course of time had to endure from the hands of science two great outrages upon its naive self-love. The first was when it realized that our earth was not the center of the universe, but only a tiny speck in a world-system of a magnitude hardly conceivable; this is associated in our minds with the name of Copernicus, although Alexandrian doctrines taught something very similar. The second was when biological research robbed man of his peculiar privilege of having been specially created, and relegated him to a descent from the animal world, implying an ineradicable animal nature in him: this transvaluation has been accomplished in our own time upon the instigation of Charles Darwin, Wallace, and their predecessors, and not without the most violent opposition from their contemporaries. But man's craving for grandiosity is now suffering the third and most bitter blow from present-day psychological research which is endeavoring to prove to the ego of each one of us that he is not even master in his own house, but that he must remain content with the veriest scraps of information about what is going on unconsciously in his own mind. We psycho-analysts were neither the first nor the only ones to propose to mankind that they should look inward; but it appears to be our lot to advocate it most insistently and to support it by empirical evidence which touches every man closely.”” [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science has repeatedly shattered human ego: cosmology, evolution, and unconscious mind reveal our limited mastery. **In simple terms:** Science humbles human ego. Key Takeaway Accept humility, seek self‑knowledge. Themes ego science humility Mood thoughtful analytical Type psychological philosophical When to use this quote - education reform - public science communication - mental health awareness Key Concepts Cosmology evolution psychoanalysis Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance humility with agency? - What role does self‑knowledge play in modern life? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on humility may cause paralysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Center of the universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/center-of-the-universe/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [We have to start at ground zero and ask what it means to have a real connection with God and what it means to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/we-have-to-start-at-ground-zero-and-ask-what-it-means-to-have-a-real/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [“So this is where all the vapid talk about the 'soul' of the universe is actually headed. 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The second was when biological research robbed man of his peculiar privilege of having been specially created, and relegated him to a descent from the animal world, implying an ineradicable animal nature in him: this transvaluation has been accomplished in our own time upon the instigation of Charles Darwin, Wallace, and their predecessors, and not without the most violent opposition from their contemporaries. But man's craving for grandiosity is now suffering the third and most bitter blow from present-day psychological research which is endeavoring to prove to the ego of each one of us that he is not even master in his own house, but that he must remain content with the veriest scraps of information about what is going on unconsciously in his own mind. 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