--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our civilization will, of course, be…" description: "\"“Our civilization will, of course, be \"playing God\" in an ultimate sense of the phrase: evolving a greater intelligence than currently exists on earth...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/william-h-calvin-29412_civilization_our-civilization-will-of-course-be-playi_2221702.jpg" --- # Our civilization will, of course, be "playing God" in an… ![“Our civilization will, of course, be "playing God" in an ultimate sense of the phrase: evolving a greater intelligence than currently exists on earth. It behooves us to be a considerate creator, wise to the world and its fragile nature, sensitive to the needs for stable footings that will prevent…” quote by William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/william-h-calvin-29412_civilization_our-civilization-will-of-course-be-playi_2221702.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/william-h-calvin-29412_civilization_our-civilization-will-of-course-be-playi_2221702.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/william-h-calvin-29412_civilization_our-civilization-will-of-course-be-playi_2221702.jpg) > ““Our civilization will, of course, be "playing God" in an ultimate sense of the phrase: evolving a greater intelligence than currently exists on earth. It behooves us to be a considerate creator, wise to the world and its fragile nature, sensitive to the needs for stable footings that will prevent backsliding -- and keep that house of cards we call civilization from collapsing.”” [William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humanity may create superintelligent AI, requiring careful, compassionate stewardship to avoid societal collapse. **In simple terms:** Creating advanced AI demands responsible, humane guidance. Key Takeaway Guide AI development with humility and caution. Themes technology responsibility future civilization Mood cautious optimistic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - government policy - research labs - public discourse - education curricula Key Concepts AI ethics existential risk anthropology Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure diverse voices shape AI? - What safeguards prevent misuse? A Different Perspective Unintended consequences may arise despite best intentions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Civilization Collapsing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-collapsing-4960973/) [Civilization Course](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization-course-740092/) [Evolving Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolving-greater-4960972/) [House of cards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house-of-cards/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Playing god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-god/) ## Related quotes > [I had a map on my wall that had a circle around Lubbock and then giant arrows pointing toward New York City and Los…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-corbin/i-had-a-map-on-my-wall-that-had-a-circle-around-lubbock-and-then/) [Barry Corbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-corbin/) > [The cosmos is evolving toward greater self-reflection, allowing us to open the eye of Spirit and see our source.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-grey/the-cosmos-is-evolving-toward-greater-self-reflection-allowing-us-to/) [Alex Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-grey/) > [Gettting to know your characters is so much more important than plotting. Working out every detail of your story in advance, especially when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/gettting-to-know-your-characters-is-so-much-more-important-than/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [ I spent my entire experience with Gary \[ on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy\] staring at him and not returning any lines because I think… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hardy/i-spent-my-entire-experience-with-gary-on-tinker-tailor-soldier-spy/) [Tom Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hardy/) > [I am sure the audience that looks on me as a Mahadev knows that at the end of the day, I am an actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohit-raina/i-am-sure-the-audience-that-looks-on-me-as-a-mahadev-knows-that-at/) [Mohit Raina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohit-raina/) > [The thing about playing gods, whether you're playing Thor and Loki or Greco Roman gods or Indian gods or characters in any mythology, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/the-thing-about-playing-gods-whether-you-re-playing-thor-and-loki-or/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [If changing our world is playing God, it is just one more way in which God made us in His image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-de-grey/if-changing-our-world-is-playing-god-it-is-just-one-more-way-in-which/) [Aubrey de Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-de-grey/) > [Here in St. Cloud’s,” Dr. Larch wrote, “ I have been given the choice of playing God or leaving practically everything up to chance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/here-in-st-cloud-s-dr-larch-wrote-i-have-been-given-the-choice-of/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I was scared. Do you know what it's like to hold someone else's life in your hands? It's like playing God. Can you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-sheldon/i-was-scared-do-you-know-what-it-s-like-to-hold-someone-else-s-life/) [Sidney Sheldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-sheldon/) > [I don't want to spoil the magic, but it's a very curious thing that honestly baffles me. It's the nearest we'll ever get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/i-don-t-want-to-spoil-the-magic-but-it-s-a-very-curious-thing-that/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [The world is playing lets make a barbie doll with your body,but the truth is they know you love your body and what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenchqueen/the-world-is-playing-lets-make-a-barbie-doll-with-your-body-but-the/) [Frenchqueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frenchqueen/) > [The Internet connection from the road can be spotty, so usually when I'm on the tour bus, I'm playing 'God of War.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-show/the-internet-connection-from-the-road-can-be-spotty-so-usually-when-i/) [Big Show](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-show/) > [I have a penchant for playing God's clowns. Actually, I played Nijinsky once, and he used to call himself God's clown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-lang/i-have-a-penchant-for-playing-god-s-clowns-actually-i-played-nijinsky/) [Stephen Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-lang/) > [ God does not play dice \[with the universe\]. \[Ger., Gott wurfelt nicht.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/god-does-not-play-dice-with-the-universe-ger-gott-wurfelt-nicht/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [There are over 30 doctors running for the US Congress this year. That's going to be rather strange. Half the time these folks will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/there-are-over-30-doctors-running-for-the-us-congress-this-year-that/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) ## More by William H. Calvin > [Perhaps we should put up posters in such places reminding people that where they stand was underwater the last time that the Earth ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-calvin/perhaps-we-should-put-up-posters-in-such-places-reminding-people-that/) [William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/) > [Stopping emissions growth represents the most minimal of do-something responses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-calvin/stopping-emissions-growth-represents-the-most-minimal-of-do-something/) [William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/) > [Since Serengeti-scale savanna scenes are only one or two million years old, our earliest after-the-apes ancestors didn't move into this scene so much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-calvin/since-serengeti-scale-savanna-scenes-are-only-one-or-two-million/) [William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/) > [Climate change has a very high procrastination penalty that just grows with each passing year of inaction - rather like what happens if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-calvin/climate-change-has-a-very-high-procrastination-penalty-that-just/) [William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/) > [Countries that innovate first get the new jobs, developing an economic edge over the C-free laggards that end up having to later import the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-calvin/countries-that-innovate-first-get-the-new-jobs-developing-an-economic/) [William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/) > [The real focus needs to be on political action to stop this runaway train, real soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-calvin/the-real-focus-needs-to-be-on-political-action-to-stop-this-runaway/) [William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/) > [Anyone who would tackle our current addiction to fossil fuels is going to have to maneuver around denial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-calvin/anyone-who-would-tackle-our-current-addiction-to-fossil-fuels-is/) [William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/) > [Carrying on as usual carries enormous risks, condemning today's students to a world of constant insecurity and frequent catastrophes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-calvin/carrying-on-as-usual-carries-enormous-risks-condemning-today-s/) [William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/) > [Even if we stop the growth, we'd still be adding a constant amount of fossil carbon to the atmosphere each year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-calvin/even-if-we-stop-the-growth-we-d-still-be-adding-a-constant-amount-of/) [William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/) > [Trusting your energy policy to the fossil fuel lobby is like trusting your health care system to the tobacco lobby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-calvin/trusting-your-energy-policy-to-the-fossil-fuel-lobby-is-like-trusting/) [William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/) > [“It takes a heavy commitment to quality education for all to avoid that stratification of society, those needless degrees of separation. But even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-calvin/it-takes-a-heavy-commitment-to-quality-education-for-all-to-avoid/) [William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/) > [Carbon-free energy is simply something we have to do. The time for talk is past. If we turn around net carbon emissions by 2020…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-calvin/carbon-free-energy-is-simply-something-we-have-to-do-the-time-for/) [William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/) > [If we don't start thinking big about the CO2 problem, we may miss our opportunity to stop a climate runaway that will trash the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-calvin/if-we-don-t-start-thinking-big-about-the-co2-problem-we-may-miss-our/) [William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/) > [Unless we redesign our civilization in numerous ways, all of the science in the world won't save us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-calvin/unless-we-redesign-our-civilization-in-numerous-ways-all-of-the/) [William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/) > [Our CO2 mixes with everyone else's within a year, then hangs around for centuries like a shroud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-calvin/our-co2-mixes-with-everyone-else-s-within-a-year-then-hangs-around/) [William H. Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/) [Explore all 18 William H. Calvin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-calvin/) ## More Civilization quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The mission is, not to replace old world mindlessness with new world mindlessness, but to put an end to all forms of brainless authoritarianism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-mission-is-not-to-replace-old-world-mindlessness-with-new-world/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/once-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-disobedient-to-the-test-of-an/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/our-laws-and-our-institutions-must-necessarily-be-based-upon-and/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) [Browse all 4,084 Civilization quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Our civilization will, of course, be \"playing God\" in an ultimate sense of the phrase: evolving a greater intelligence than currently exists on earth. It behooves us to be a considerate creator, wise to the world and its fragile nature, sensitive to the needs for stable footings that will prevent backsliding -- and keep that house of cards we call civilization from collapsing.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William H. 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