Lately, Goethe’s sorcerer’s apprentice has been springing to mind more and more often whenever I look at the world: on the one hand, when I read and hear about all the things AI is now capable of, and on the other, when I look at how much children and young people, but also many adults, are dependent on social media.
Incidentally, in the English translation of the poem, the German “Zauberer” is not a wizard, but a sorcerer, although the Wizard of Oz is a “Zauberer” in German.
And while we’re on the subject of the English translation…what is interesting for lawyers is that the spirits are “summoned”.
Well, one or two lawyers will be familiar with this term from their professional practice: You name a witness in the belief that he or she will be helpful, and this witness then turns out to be the exact opposite. It’s somehow comforting to realise that even old Goethe knew that this sometimes happens when you summons somebody or have them summonsed…