Every technology, including the printing press, comes at some

The journalist and editor Bill Keller, reflecting on the march of invention and its consequences, once declared: “Every technology, including the printing press, comes at some price.” In these words he speaks not as a mere commentator but as a prophet of balance, reminding us that every gain in technology carries with it hidden costs. For though invention may appear as a blessing from the gods, it always casts a shadow — a toll upon society, upon culture, or upon the human soul itself.

The mention of the printing press is no accident. When Johannes Gutenberg unveiled his machine in the fifteenth century, it was hailed as a miracle. Knowledge, once bound in the chains of monasteries, now flowed freely to merchants, peasants, and scholars alike. Ideas leapt from one city to another as never before. The price, however, soon revealed itself: the spread of heresy, the unleashing of propaganda, the breakdown of authority that had for centuries governed Europe. Wars of religion followed, tearing nations apart. Thus, what seemed the purest blessing carried within it both creation and destruction.

This is the law of all technology. Fire warms, but it also burns; the wheel carries men far, but it also crushes beneath its weight. In our age, the internet binds the world into one great village, but it also sows division, falsehood, and addiction. Nuclear power lights cities but has also vaporized them. Keller’s words remind us that progress is never free; the price is always hidden in the folds of the gift. The wise must count the cost before exalting the invention.

Consider the tale of Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite to aid in construction, to blast through mountains and open paths for roads and bridges. He envisioned progress, not destruction. Yet his invention soon found its greatest use in war, turning battlefields into slaughterhouses. Nobel himself was horrified by the unintended price of his creation, and in remorse, he dedicated his fortune to the Nobel Prizes — a legacy that sought to heal the wounds caused by the misuse of his gift.

Even in our time, the same paradox endures. Digital technology, with its glowing screens, gives voice to the voiceless and connects the distant. Yet it also steals attention, erodes silence, and floods the mind with noise. The price of instant access is often distraction, loneliness, and the erosion of reflection. Each tool shapes humanity, not only in what it gives, but in what it quietly takes away.

The lesson is not to reject technology, but to wield it with wisdom. The printing press was worth its cost, but only when men learned to balance its power with responsibility. So too with modern inventions: we must weigh the benefits against the costs, asking always not only, “What does this give us?” but also, “What does this demand from us?” Without such reflection, progress can devour the very humanity it claims to uplift.

Therefore, O seekers of truth, remember Bill Keller’s words: “Every technology, including the printing press, comes at some price.” Do not be dazzled by the gift alone, nor blinded by its shadow. Accept technology as a tool, but count its cost. Use it not carelessly, but with intention, discipline, and reverence. For the greatest progress lies not in what we create, but in how we choose to carry the burden of its price with wisdom and with justice.