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> "Beware of first-hand ideas!" exclaimed one [...] "First-hand ideas do not really exist. They are but the physical impressions produced by love and fear, and
by hn_throwawa_100 3y ago
> "Beware of first-hand ideas!" exclaimed one [...] "First-hand ideas do not really exist. They are but the physical impressions produced by love and fear, and on this gross foundation who could erect a philosophy? Let your ideas be second-hand, and if possible tenth-hand, for then they will be far removed from that disturbing element — direct observation."
– E.M. Forster's 1909 short story "The Machine Stops"
- Groxx 3y ago^ The Machine Stops is really shockingly good at its predictions. When reading, remember that moving pictures were brand new, and color photography had just become a thing you could do outside a lab / highly specialized setups. Radio communication had just started to be used by governments. While it's describing the life of a fully-online Influencer™.
- CatWChainsaw 3y agoAnd I don't expect its predictions to suddenly falter, either.
- bitwize 3y agoSounds like a Wikipedia editorial policy.