This capacity for living easily and familiarly at an extraordinary level of abstraction is the source of modern man's power. With it he has transformed the planet, annihilated space, and trebled the world's population. But it is also a power which has, like everything human, its negative side, in the desolating sense of rootlessness, vacuity, and the lack of concrete feeling that assails modern man in his moments of real anxiety.William Barrett
About This Quote
The quote above is from C. P. Snow, a British historian who wrote the book "The Two Cultures." He was referring to the difference between how science and humanities progress, but also how people view the world. He believed that it was the inability of humanities students to appreciate the science that kept them from advancing in their fields.
He shares this quote with us to remind us that there are some very real dangers associated with believing that we have mastered all of our problems. Other people have different ideas about what is best for them and what they should do with their lives.
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