单项选择题

Framing a problem in mythological terms can point toward solutions at deeper mythic levels. For centuries, the guiding myth of Western culture has been what might be called the "Grand Narrative of Progress. " It is the story of movement toward a goal— achievement, improvement, and conquest. Modern science and technology have propelled this myth, extending the human life-span, harnessing natural resources and the power of the atom, carrying sounds through the atmosphere, and exploring outer space by defying gravity itself. Rational thought and the empirical scientific method became the chief instruments of the progress myth, and they promised to discern which economic system, which form of government, and which aesthetic design would best lead humanity out of confusion toward a utopian future. As science tests hypotheses, those that fail to be verified are abandoned, allowing science to move forward in a self-correcting, progressive direction. Mythology was equated with superstition and falsehood: its most vital elements could not be subjected to empirical verification, and it emanated from the well of imagination rather than reason. Spiritual concerns, beliefs in the divine, and respect for the sacred were considered to be the "opium of the masses" and, like any other addiction, a hindrance to progress. But as the Grand Narrative of Progress came to dominate other values and views, it cast a malignant shadow. The invention of the automobile was the quintessence of progress, but it left overcrowded highways, air pollution, and deforestation in its wake. Fertilizers increased crop production but also increased the growth of algae in lakes and canals. The discovery of powerful insecticides—first greeted with enthusiasm and a Nobel Prize—was followed by the unintentional poisoning of fish, birds, and animals. Nuclear power plants increased available energy but led to storage problems, life-threatening contamination, and at least one accident with worldwide repercussions. The waste products of technological living began to choke great cities and foul once-pristine lands. Although Western housing, clothing, and religion were brought to aboriginal people, and the rate of infectious disease went down, the rate of alcoholism, drug addiction, suicide, and spouse and children abuse went up. By the first sentence of the passage the author means that ______.