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The New Prometheans: Creative and Destructive Forces in Modern Science
The New Prometheans Creative and Destructive Forces in Modern Science Author:Robert S. de Ropp ...we can hardly avoid the conclusion, however, that the forces that have shaped our science and have molded our new society were not all creative. Every advance that the Prometheans have made has been partially annulled by Epimethean meddling and lack of foresight. That these Epimetheans have not yet succeeded in either blowing up our planet ... more »or letting loose a new plague against which mankind would be defenseless is more the result of luck than good management...
Today the great challenge is no longer the discovery of new scientific laws. Perhaps we already know too much for our own good. The challenge is rather to prevent "the half-wit Epimetheus" from using the powers the Prometheans have won to ruin us all. This is a very serious challenge because, as the following pages will make clear, Prometheus and Epithemeus often exist together in the nature of the same scientist...He longs to conquer nature, but, having conquered, has no idea what to do with his conquest or how to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. Nothing illustrates this fact more vividly than the story of the atom smashers."« less