Progress imposes not only new possibilities for the future but new restrictions.
Meaning
Wiener cautioned that every technological advance narrows some options even as it opens others. Think of how a smartphone adds convenience yet demands attention. Before adopting a new tool, ask what it will require of you, not just what it promises.
Source: The Human Use of Human Beings (1950)
About the author
Norbert Wiener (1894–1964) was an American mathematician and philosopher at MIT who founded cybernetics, the study of communication and control in machines and living things. His books include Cybernetics (1948) and The Human Use of Human Beings (1950).
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