The fact that a cloud from a minor volcanic eruption in Iceland—a small disturbance in the complex mechanism of life on the Earth—can bring to a standstill the aerial traffic over an entire continent is a reminder of how, with all its power to transform nature, humankind remains just another species on the planet Earth.

~ Slavoj Žižek

Slavoj Žižek 2010 2010 Eruptions Eyjafjallajokull Aviation Butterfly Effect Earth Eruption Columns Europe Eyjafjallajokull Humankind Iceland Life Nature Volcanic Ash Volcanoes

The socioeconomic impact of such a minor outburst is due to our technological development (air travel)—a century ago, such an eruption would have passed unnoticed. Technological development makes us more independent from nature. At the same time, at a different level, it makes us more dependent on nature’s whims.

~ Slavoj Žižek

Slavoj Žižek 2010 2010 Eruptions Eyjafjallajökul Aviation Europe Eyjafjallajokull Nature Socioeconomics Technology Volcanoes