There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so

In Hamlet, Shakespeare writes: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” Hamlet is talking about Denmark, which feels like a prison to him. It’s not the place that defines the meaning, but the perception.

That line captures something about how our perception decides whether something is good or bad long before we truly understand them.

Take chocolate. When it first became popular in Europe in the 17th century, physicians warned that it would inflame the passions, damage digestion, and even corrupt moral character.

Or steam engines. In the 19th century, doctors and newspaper editors argued that the speeds of trains powered by these machines would be lethal. They feared that travelling at thirty miles an hour would cause the human body to suffocate, the brain to overheat, or women to suffer permanent damage.

Even books have had their turn as a menace. In the 18th and 19th centuries, there was moral panic about “reading mania.” Critics claimed that too much time with novels would overstimulate the mind, weaken eyesight, and lead young people into idleness or fantasy.

History is full of examples like these. Each innovation arrives, and alongside the excitement comes fear.

We should remember this when looking at the technologies arriving today. Healthy caution is wise, but quick judgment is rarely accurate. What seems threatening now may one day feel as ordinary as a bar of chocolate, a train ride, or a good book.