“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments. Here was a machine of precision and balance for the convenience of man. And (unlike subsequent inventions for man's convenience) the more he used it, the fitter his body became. Here, for once, was a product of man's brain that was entirely beneficial to those who used it, and of no harm or irritation to others. Progress should have stopped when man invented the bicycle.” MenShouldPhilosophyBodyUsedHealingBrainProgressProductsBalanceShould HaveMachinesHarmInventionCyclesBikeBeneficialConvenienceTouringBicycleAttainmentPrecisionCyclingIrritationBikingCyclistsTandemTandem BikesTandem Bicycles Author:Elizabeth West
“To be sure, the doctrine of a personal God interfering with natural events could never be refuted, in the real sense, by science, for this doctrine can always take refuge in those domains in which scientific knowledge has not yet been able to set foot.” HumansRealReasonLightTruthAbleReligionLosesNaturalDarkClearProgressFeetMankindEffectsEventsBehaviorHarmToleranceDoctrineRepresentativesRefugeInterfereScience And ReligionDomainUnworthyPhilosophy Of ReligionHuman ProgressRegularityScience ReligionScientific KnowledgeGod And Science Author:Albert Einstein
“Nothing outside the will can hinder or harm the will; it can only harm itself. If then we accept this, and, when things go amiss, are inclined to blame ourselves, remembering that judgment alone can disturb our peace and constancy, I swear to you by all the gods that we have made progress.” IfsMadeRememberAcceptingProgressJudgmentBlameHarmSwearHinderConstancyIf Then Book:The Discourses and Manual: Together with Fragments of His Writings Source: The Discourses and Manual: Together with Fragments of His Writings
“We must remove government's smothering hand from where it does harm; we must seek to revitalize the proper functions of government. We do these things to set loose again the energy and the ingenuity of the American people. We do these things to reinvigorate those social and economic institutions which serve as a buffer and a bridge between the individual and the state - and which remain the real source of our progress as a people.” PeopleDoeRealStatesHandsGovernmentIndividualEnergySocialProgressEconomicSourceFunctionInstitutionsHarmBridgesRemoveIngenuity Book:Speaking my mind: selected speeches Source: Speaking my mind: selected speeches
“Morality has in the past made progress when we broadened the category of things we weren't permitted to harm (animals, 'infidels'); saw through some delusions and rationalisations about what harms are good for people themselves (prison punishment, hysterectomies for unhappy 1950s wives); and readjusted our for-the-good of others criteria so as to demand only reasonable sacrifices (ceasing to use children as handy chimney sweeps).” PeopleChildrenMadeUsePastAnimalSawsWifeProgressSacrificeMoralityDemandPrisonHarmPunishmentUnhappyReasonableDelusionCategoriesCriteriaHandyInfidelChimneysHysterectomyChimney Sweeps Author:Catherine Wilson
“There is no single test or formula for producing moral progress anymore than there is for generating scientific truths. It is a process involving theoreticians, fact-gatherers, protestors, martyrs for the cause, authors of first- person narratives who change the way we see and evaluate the distribution of harms and benefits.” WayFirstsPersonsFactsCausesProcessMoralProgressBenefitsTestsHarmNarrativeFormulasDistributionMartyrEvaluateInvolvingFirst PersonScientific Truth Author:Catherine Wilson