Page - 117 - in Nikola Tesla and the Graz Tech

117 Nevertheless, the bourgeoisie as the politically relevant class in its liberal ide- alism, to follow Stefan Zweig’s remarks, was also ‘... honestly convinced that it was on the straight and unfailing path toward being the “best of all worlds”. Earlier eras, with their wars, famines, and revolts, were deprecated as times when mankind was still immature and unenlightened. But now it was merely a matter of decades until the last vestige of evil and violence would finally be conquered, and this faith in an uninterrupted and irresistible “progress” truly had the force of a religion for that generation. One began to believe more in this “progress” than in the Bible, and its gospel appeared ultimate because of the daily new wonders of science and technology.’ But this uncritical belief in technology was increasingly opposed by think- ers and poets, such as Peter Rosegger, who summed up and warned in his ‘Heimgarten’ periodical in 1909: ‘Technology is the pride of our age. Above all, the technology of the machine, in which we have created an iron body for the human body, so that it really seems that we would live firmly in this enduring body, far beyond the death of our flesh. I believe we could say: we are bequeathing our mind to the machine... But what if the future human being is just a machine? What if in the future the machine should replace the human being? I dread this thought. But if we find a balance between technology and soul, between machine and mind, then there is the mediation between the old era and modernity ... If one day it turns out that the victorious technology can make mankind more content, more ethical, happier, then it is divine progress. Otherwise, however, despite all the damaged strength, despite its beauty and splendour, it is a fatal aberration.’