Prometheus in the 21st Century

Prometheus in the 21st Century

Really when you think about it, our patron saint 

[of the modern technological world] 

is Prometheus who stole fire from the gods.

Eugen Weber, Professor of History, UCLA

Public Television Series: The Western Tradition

 The Greek God Prometheus, father of mankind, stealing fire from the Gods

Stealing fire from the Gods -- 

Have we taken on too much? 

(Left) A simple match (Right) A midsummer bonfire

Our fate is now

tied to our ability

to understand 

and then to manage nature

To become managers 

of planet Earth

 (Left) Fire out of control (Right) Photo of the fireball of first US atomic bomb test, Trinity

The question is:

Are we up to the task?

 (Left) NASA composite of the Earth and moon (Right) NASA Earth monitoring satellites 

No society has ever yet been able to handle the temptations of technology...

We have to learn to cherish this Earth and cherish it as something that's fragile, that's only one, it's all we have. We have to use our scientific knowledge to correct the dangers that have come from science and technology.

Margaret Mead