A small metal toy robot stands beside a wilted potted plant on a windowsill in fading light.

Original artwork, not a still

Aldous Huxley

Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker argues that technological progress has, in practice, only made retreat more efficient: the machinery improves, but the direction of travel is backwards. It is a sceptical verdict that faster and cleverer tools do not guarantee moral or human advance, and may speed decline.

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