I have heard that pre-WW1, pre-WW2, and pre-atom bomb, there was a culture of hopefulness and idealism that we could soon cure all humanity's ills with technolo

I have heard that pre-WW1, pre-WW2, and pre-atom bomb, there was a culture of hopefulness and idealism that we could soon cure all humanity's ills with technology and progress. Unfortunately, those events served to at least partially extinguish that dream.