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Quote by Giacomo Leopardi

Work

Zibaldone

Zibaldone is a compilation of the intellectual musings of an Italian philosopher and writer, encompassing a wide range of topics from philosophy to everyday observations. The work is known for its eclectic nature and the author's ability to explore diverse ideas in a conversational and personal style. more

Author

Giacomo Leopardi
Giacomo Leopardi

Giacomo Leopardi was an Italian poet and philosopher, recognized for his melancholic and existentialist works. Born on June 29, 1798, in Naples, Italy, Leopardi's life was characterized by illness and a profound sense of isolation. His poetry, marked by introspection and philosophical depth, has had a lasting impact on Italian literature. more

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“But when you come right down to it the reason that we did this job is because it was an organic necessity. If you are a scientist you cannot stop such a thing. If you are a scientist you believe that it is good to find out how the world works; that it is good to find out what the realities are; that it is good to turn over to mankind at large the greatest possible power to control the world and to deal with it according to its lights and values.”

“Imagine a room awash in gasoline, and there are two implacable enemies in that room. One of them has nine thousand matches. The other has seven thousand matches. Each of them is concerned about who's ahead, who's stronger. Well that's the kind of situation we are actually in. The amount of weapons that are available to the United States and the Soviet Union are so bloated, so grossly in excess of what's needed to dissuade the other, that if it weren't so tragic, it would be laughable. What is necessary is to reduce the matches and to clean up the gasoline.”

“It is only when science asks why, instead of simply describing how, that it becomes more than technology. When it asks why, it discovers Relativity. When it only shows how, it invents the atom bomb, and then puts its hands over its eye and says, My God what have I done?”