Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology

by Adrienne Mayor

Like Epimetheus, oblivious to the moral and social dangers lurking within, ignoring the warnings of the lone Promethean voices among us, we rush headlong into a future of humanoid robots, brain-computer interfaces, magnified powers, unnaturally enhanced life, animated thinking things, virtual reality, and Artificial Intelligence. We blunder on, hoping for the best.

"We blunder on" I don't think the typical inventor is entirely ignorant of possible negative consequences. They don't want to get sued for harming someone! "We blunder" seems to imply social ownership of all innovation, and that innovators must ask permission.

Unlike the supernatural, effortless flight of the gods that defied time, physics, and space, however, his artificial wings required the physical effort of pumping one’s arms to soar like a bird.