Smells like a Sickness
Why Are We Going Backwards, and Where Is Our Rear View Mirror
Sophia: Friends, I’ve been considering the paradoxes of progress. George, you observed, “To many men… the miasma of peace seems more suffocating than the bracing air of war.” And Carl, you remind us that “Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.” How do we understand humanity’s fascination with regression despite its tools for insight?
Steiner: Sophia, peace is often dull, monotonous, lacking the drama that stirs ambition or ego. Many prefer the clarity of conflict, however destructive, to the subtle challenge of maintaining harmony. Inertia cloaked as progress can be more stifling than overt struggle.
Sagan: And here, thinking scientifically is critical. Science teaches us not merely facts, but habits of questioning, observation, and humility. If we abandon this method — our intellectual rearview mirror, so to speak — we risk repeating errors, drifting backward while imagining we advance.
To many men... the miasma of peace seems more suffocating than the bracing air of war.
— George Steiner (1929-2020)
Sophia: So the backward motion is both moral and cognitive. The absence of reflection, the lack of disciplined thought, renders peace inert and invites regression.
Steiner: Precisely. Civilization thrives not on the absence of conflict alone, but on the capacity to cultivate insight, empathy, and responsibility. Without these, even tranquility feels suffocating, for it exposes the emptiness of unexamined life.
Sagan: And science, as a method of thinking, gives us perspective. We can trace cause and effect, peer into history, and examine the cosmos. Without it, our rearview mirror is blind, and we stumble over mistakes already made.
Sophia: Then to move forward wisely, we must embrace peace not as absence of challenge, but as an arena for reflection and growth. We must cultivate habits of thinking that prevent the backward slide and illuminate the path ahead.
Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.
— Carl Sagan (1934-1996)
Steiner: Only then can the suffocating miasma transform into fertile air — a space for reason, creativity, and moral clarity.
Sagan: And only then can humanity navigate its journey consciously, with a rearview mirror of insight and the courage to steer toward a sustainable future.
Sophia: So the answer lies not merely in longing for action or progress, but in thinking deliberately, examining the past, and finding the courage to cultivate peace as a living practice.
They gaze toward the horizon where war’s shadows fade and stars emerge, aware that true progress is measured not in motion alone, but in thoughtful direction.
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