“Really, one of us ought to have the courage to call the experiment off and shoulder the responsibility for the decision, but the majority reckons that that kind of courage would be a sign of cowardice, and the first step in a retreat. They think it would mean an undignified surrender for mankind — as if there was any dignity in floundering and drowning in what we don't understand and never will.”

—  Stanisław Lem, book Solaris

Source: Solaris (1961), Ch. 11: "The Thinkers", p. 158

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Stanisław Lem photo
Stanisław Lem74
Polish science fiction author 1921–2006

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