The machine -- not only does it relieve us mechanically of a crushing
weight of physical and mental labor; but by the miraculous enhancing of
our senses, through its powers of enlargement, penetration and exact
measurement, it constantly increases the scope and clarity of our
perceptions. It fulfills the dream of all living creatures by
satisfying our instinctive craving for the maximum of consciousness with
a minimum of effort! Having embarked upon so profitable a path, how can
Mankind fail to pursue it?
-- Teilhard de Chardin