Quote by Archibald MacLeish
What happened at Hiroshima was not only that a scientific breakthrough had occurred and that a great part of the population of a city had been burned to death, but that the problem of the relation of the triumphs of modern science to the human purposes of man had been explicitly defined.
Summary
This quote reflects on the events of Hiroshima, stating that it went beyond being a scientific breakthrough or a mass death toll for a city. It suggests that Hiroshima marked the explicit recognition of a significant issue – the conflict between the advancements of science and technology and their impact on humanity. The quote implies that the devastating consequences of Hiroshima crystallized the need for understanding and addressing the ethical implications and moral responsibilities associated with scientific progress and its alignment with human values and goals.