"Our mastery over the forces of nature has led to a rapid growth of population, and a vast accumulation of wealth; but these have brought with them such an amount of poverty and crime."
— Alfred Russel Wallace
Our Mastery Over The Forces Of
Our mastery over the forces of nature has led to a rapid growth of population, and a vast accumulation of wealth; but these have brought with them such an amount of poverty and crime.
About this quote
Alfred Russel Wallace wrote this passage in The Malay Archipelago (1869), his account of eight years collecting specimens across Southeast Asia. The observation appears in his reflections on the contrast between technological progress and persistent poverty in industrialized nations. Wallace was one of the first scientists to argue publicly that material advancement without social reform was a hollow achievement.
Source
The Malay Archipelago, 1869