“We are sufficiently at the mercy of machines, Roger; if our music must necessarily be mechanical, then it is time for us to throw in the sponge, and abandon all hope for the future of humanity.”

—  Jack Vance , book Space Opera

Source: Space Opera (1965), Chapter 4 (p. 31)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "We are sufficiently at the mercy of machines, Roger; if our music must necessarily be mechanical, then it is time for u…" by Jack Vance?
Jack Vance photo
Jack Vance 213
American mystery and speculative fiction writer 1916–2013

Related quotes

Steven Novella photo

“Isn't the future necessarily going to be dominated by machine life?”

Steven Novella (1964) American neurologist, skepticist

SGU, Podcast #401 – March 23rd, 2013 http://www.theskepticsguide.org/podcast/sgu/401
The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe, Podcast, 2010s

Stephen Baxter photo
Isaac Asimov photo

“Why, Stephen, if I am right, it means that the Machine is conducting our future for us not only simply in direct answer to our direct questions, but in general answer to the world situation and to human psychology as a whole. And to know that may make us unhappy and may hurt our pride. The Machine cannot, must not, make us unhappy.
"Stephen, how do we know what the ultimate good of Humanity will entail? We haven't at our disposal the infinite factors that the Machine has at its! Perhaps, to give you a not unfamiliar example, our entire technical civilization has created more unhappiness and misery than it has removed. Perhaps an agrarian or pastoral civilization, with less culture and less people would be better. If so, the Machines must move in that direction, preferably without telling us, since in our ignorant prejudices we only know that what we are used to, is good—and we would then fight change. Or perhaps a complete urbanization, or a completely caste-ridden society, or complete anarchy, is the answer. We don't know. Only the Machines know, and they are going there and taking us with them."
"But you are telling me, Susan, that the 'Society for Humanity' is right; and that Mankind has lost its own say in its future."
"It never had any, really. It was always at the mercy of economic and sociological forces it did not understand—at the whims of climate, and the fortunes of war. Now the Machines understand them; and no one can stop them, since the Machines will deal with them as they are dealing with the Society,—having, as they do, the greatest of weapons at their disposal, the absolute control of our economy."
"How horrible!”

"Perhaps how wonderful! Think, that for all time, all conflicts are finally evitable. Only the Machines, from now on, are inevitable!"
“The Evitable Conflict”, p. 192
I, Robot (1950)

Henri Poincaré photo

“We must, for example, use language, and our language is necessarily steeped in preconceived ideas.”

Source: Science and Hypothesis (1901), Ch. IX: Hypotheses in Physics, Tr. George Bruce Halsted (1913)
Context: It is often said that experiments should be made without preconceived ideas. That is impossible. Not only would it make every experiment fruitless, but even if we wished to do so, it could not be done. Every man has his own conception of the world, and this he cannot so easily lay aside. We must, for example, use language, and our language is necessarily steeped in preconceived ideas.

Vikram Seth photo
Alexander H. Stephens photo
Thomas Carlyle photo
Laisenia Qarase photo
Marie Curie photo

Related topics