To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
Aldous HuxleyRead
Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that advancements in technology may lead to regression rather than improvement in society.
Aldous Huxley's quote reflects a critical perspective on technological progress, implying that while technology offers us greater efficiency and capability, it can also result in negative consequences that may hinder genuine progress. Instead of advancing society, technology can sometimes reinforce outdated behaviors or systems, leading us to regress rather than evolve.
In practice
In a debate about the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs, one might quote Huxley to emphasize potential downsides.
To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
In the course of history many more people have died for their drink and their dope than have died for their religion or their country.
On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.
No man ever dared to manifest his boredom so insolently as does a Siamese tomcat when he yawns in the face of his amorously importunate wife.
The leech's kiss, the squid's embrace, The prurient ape's defiling touch: And do you like the human race? No, not much.
I think it is inevitable that people program poorly. Training will not substantially help matters. We have to learn to live with it.
If we do not learn to eliminate waste and to be more productive and more efficient in the ways we use energy, then we will fall short of this goal [for the Nation to derive 20 percent of all the energy we use from the Sun, by 2000]. But if we use our technological imagination, if we can work together to harness the light of the Sun, the power of the wind, and the strength of rushing streams, then we will succeed.
We don't need to reject or disparage technology. We need to put it in its place.
The danger of the Web is that you can go from idea to public announcement in under ten minutes.
Software is a great combination between artistry and engineering.
What we want to do is make a leapfrog product that is way smarter than any mobile device has ever been, and super-easy to use. This is what iPhone is. OK? So, we're going to reinvent the phone.
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