Deus Ex: Human Revolution

"Albert Einstein said, 'Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal.' Took me awhile, but I finally see his point. How often have we changed the dream of progress, only to see that dream perverted? More often than not, haven't the machines we built to improve life shattered the lives of millions? And now we want to turn that dream on ourselves, to fundamentally improve who we are. Experience has shown me how dangerous that can be. How many times, in the call of duty, did I almost fall into the trap of taking shortcuts, abusing my abilities or the resources at hand? I resisted, barely at times, because I valued human lives and considerations. But can I truly despise others that fall? Technology offers us strength, strength enables dominance, and dominance paves the way for abuse. Darrow understood this. He knew that using technology to becoming something more than we are risks losing our ability to love, aspire or make moral choices — the very things that make us Human. It also risks giving some men the power to make others what they choose — regardless of the cost to human dignity. The suffering Darrow inflicted is not the end of the world. It is merely the seed for change. And change never comes without pain."

"Albert Einstein said, 'Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal.' Took me awhile, but I finally see his point. How often have we changed the dream of progress, only to see that dream perverted? More often than not, haven't the machines we built to improve life shattered the lives of millions? And now we want to turn that dream on ourselves, to fundamentally improve who we are. Experience has shown me how dangerous that can be. When faced with difficult choices, sometimes I considered human lives and suffering but other times, my own interests were paramount. Did I always do the right thing? Or did the presence of an easy answer lead me astray? Technologies are invented to make our lives easier — not our choices. The problem comes when we forget that. Darrow understood this. He knew that using technology to becoming something more than we are risks losing our ability to love, aspire or make moral choices — the very things that make us Human. It also risks giving some men the power to make others what they choose — regardless of the cost to human dignity. The suffering Darrow inflicted is not the end of the world. It is merely the seed for change. And change never comes without pain."

"Albert Einstein said, 'Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal.' Took me awhile, but I finally see his point. How often have we changed the dream of progress, only to see that dream perverted? More often than not, haven't the machines we built to improve life shattered the lives of millions? And now we want to turn that dream on ourselves, to fundamentally improve who we are. Experience has shown me how dangerous that can be. When facing difficult choices, how often did I take the easiest path, abusing technologies and resources at hand in order to accomplish my goals? If other people needed my help or simply stood in my way, did I not callously and systematically discount them. Technology gave me the power to achieve what I wanted, but I was blind to the suffering I caused. Darrow understood this. He knew that using technology to becoming something more than we are risks losing our ability to love, aspire or make moral choices — the very things that make us Human. It also risks giving some men the power to make others what they choose — regardless of the cost to human dignity. The suffering Darrow inflicted is not the end of the world. It is merely the seed for change. And change never comes without pain."

"Freedom. To those that don't have, it it's more valuable than gold. But where should it start and end? We humans often think we have the right to expand, absorb, convert, or possess anything we need to reach our dreams. But time and time again, hasn't this lead to conflicts with others who essentially believe the same thing? Looking back on the challenges I faced — at the way I often resolved them — I realize morality can become our saving grace. Most of the time, didn't I try to keep my values in mind knowing how my values would affect others? More often than not, I resisted the urge to abuse power and resources simply to reach my goals more swiftly. I managed to hang on to my humanity — but the temptation to ignore it was always there. It's that temptation that so worries Taggart. He's not afraid of freedom. He's afraid of the chaos that erupts when individuals have nothing but morality to constrain them. He wants us to regulate enhancement technologies because he fears all that power without limits, without guide rails to keep us from abusing it. Absolute freedom is no better than chaos. Society needs laws and regulations to protect it. So if the men and women behind Taggart need to work in the shadows, pulling strings to enable us to head in a safe direction, will supporting them be all that bad? If they're as wise as Taggart says, how bad will their leadership be? I just hope they stand by what they say."

"Freedom. To those that don't have, it it's more valuable than gold. But where should it start and end? We humans often think we have the right to expand, absorb, convert, or possess anything we need to reach our dreams. But time and time again, hasn't this lead to conflicts with others who essentially believe the same thing? Morality is supposed to keep us in line but I can't always say it's effective. Looking back at the challenges I faced, sometimes I made an effort to spare lives, to use the tools and resources around me in ways that might benefit all. But not always. Intent on reaching my goals, how often did I waver between adhering to my morals and indulging in self-centered concerns? If I fell was it because I didn't care, or because I lacked the strength to go the extra mile? That's what Taggart is so worried about. He's not afraid of freedom; He's afraid of the chaos that erupts when individuals have nothing but a weak grasp on morality to constrain them. He wants to regulate enhancement technologies because he fears all that power without limits, without guide rails to keep us from abusing it. Absolute freedom is no better than chaos. Society needs laws and regulations to protect it. So if the men and women behind Taggart need to work in the shadows, pulling strings to enable us to head in a safe direction, will supporting them be all that bad? If they're as wise as Taggart says, how bad will their leadership be? I just hope they stand by what they say."

"Freedom. To those that don't have, it it's more valuable than gold. But where should it start and end? We humans often think we have the right to expand, absorb, convert, or possess anything we need to reach our dreams. But time and time again, hasn't this lead to conflicts with others who essentially believe the same thing? How often in my desire to reach a goal, did I put my needs first, ignoring others or causing senseless pain, simply because something stood in my way? Didn't I often act coldly, becoming a destructive force that lost touch with my humanity along the way? I got what I wanted sure, but at what cost to others around me? That's what Taggart is worried about. He's not afraid of freedom; He's afraid of the chaos that erupts when individuals have nothing but a weak grasp on morality to constrain them. He wants to regulate enhancement technologies because he fears all that power without limits, without guide rails to keep us from abusing it. Absolute freedom is no better than chaos. Society needs laws and regulations to protect it. So if the men and women behind Taggart need to work in the shadows, pulling strings to enable us to head in a safe direction, will supporting them be all that bad? If they're as wise as Taggart says, how bad will their leadership be? I just hope they stand by what they say."

"Sarif was right about one thing, it's in our nature to want to rise above our limits. Think about it. we were cold, so we harnessed fire, we were weak so we invented tools. Every time we met an obstacle we used creativity and ingenuity to overcome it. The cycle is inevitable... but will the outcome always be good? I guess that will depend on how we approach it. these past few months I was challenged many times, but more often than not didn't I try to keep morality in mind, knowing that my actions didn't have to harm others. Time and time again, didn't I resist the urge to abuse power and resources simply to achieve my goals more swiftly? In the past we've had to compensate for weaknesses, finding quick solutions that only benefit a few. But what if we never need to feel weak or morally conflicted again? What if the path Sarif wants us to take enables us to hold on to higher values with more stability? One thing is obvious for the first time in history we have a chance to steal fire from the gods. To turn away from it now — to stop pursing a future in which technology and biology combine leading to the promise of a singularity — would mean to deny the very essence of who we are. No doubt the road to get there will be bumpy, hurting some people along the way. But won't achieving the dream be worth it? We can become the gods we've always been striving to be. We might as well get good at it."

"Sarif was right about one thing, it's in our nature to want to rise above our limits. Think about it. we were cold, so we harnessed fire, we were weak so we invented tools. Every time we've met an obstacle, we've used creativity and ingenuity to overcome it. The cycle is inevitable... but will the outcome necessarily be good? Sarif thinks so, but I know how tempting it is to put your own needs in front of others. These past few months I was often tested, and even though I managed to show concern for people on several occasions, I also caused them injury enough. Consumed with a desire to succeed, I found it easy to abuse power and resources, when I wanted to. But perhaps that's just one limit I have yet to overcome. Given time and ingenuity perhaps Man's willingness to improve will turn out to be stronger than any evil his selfishness creates. One thing is obvious for the first time in history we have a chance to steal fire from the gods. To turn away from it now — to stop pursing a future in which technology and biology combine leading to the promise of a singularity — would mean to deny the very essence of who we are. No doubt the road to get there will be bumpy, hurting some people along the way. But won't achieving the dream be worth it? We can become the gods we've always been striving to be. We might as well get good at it."

"Sarif was right about one thing, it's in our nature to want to rise above our limits Think about it. we were cold so we harnessed fire we were weak so we invented tools Every time we met an obstacle we used creativity and ingenuity to overcome it. The cycle is inevitable... but will the outcome always be good? Sarif believed so, but my own experience makes me wonder. These past few months I was tested many times, and too often I chose to inflict suffering when challenged even though I had alternatives. I reacted selfishly, abusing power and resources to accomplish my goals — and I lost my humanity along the way. But perhaps selfishness is the one limit I have yet to overcome. Given time and ingenuity perhaps Man's willingness to improve will turn out to be stronger than any evil we create. One thing is obvious: for the first time in history, we have a chance to steal fire from the gods. To turn away from it now — to stop pursing a future in which technology and biology combine leading to the promise of a singularity — would mean to deny the very essence of who we are. No doubt the road to get there will be bumpy, hurting some people along the way. But won't achieving the dream be worth it? We can become the gods we've always been striving to be. We might as well get good at it."