Benjamin Franklin's Forsight

I always rejoice to hear of your being still employed in experimental researches into nature, and of the success you meet with. The rapid progress true science now makes, occasions my regretting sometimes that I was born so soon: it is impossible to imagine the height to which may be carried, in a thousand years, the power of man over matter; we may perhaps learn to deprive large masses of their gravity, and give them absolute levity for the sake of easy transport. Agriculture may diminish its labour and double its produce; all diseases may by sure means be prevented or cured (not excepting even that of old age), and our lives lengthened at pleasure even beyond the antediluvian standard. Oh! that moral science were in as fair a way of improvement; that men would cease to be wolves to one another; and that human beings would at length learn what they now improperly call humanity!

Notes:

He sees the future of science and the possibilities, but laments that it will not change the morals of man.

Folksonomies: science futurism science fiction

Taxonomies:
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/art and entertainment/music/singing (0.195119)
/society (0.166177)

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Entities:
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Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin

Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Franklin, Benjamin (1839), Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin, Retrieved on 2012-05-17

Source Material [books.google.com]

Schemas

02 MAR 2011

Seeing Farther Through Science

Visionary memes about the future of the human race and our potential.

Folksonomies: enlightenment science vision