It's a reference to the film Forbidden Planet in which a supposedly advanced race extinguished themselves by providing a method by which thought could be realized in substance, whereafter their elementary subconcious was rendered real and physically destroyed them. The line is the dying words of the visiting ship's doctor who finally understood the mystery of their disappearance.
It's a common theme in science fiction to fell (or occasionally to save) an advanced culture by means of the overlooked or forgotten point of the crude natural world. Conversely, basic nature can be used to challenge extraordinary claims: such as wondering why psychics need appointments or still have car accidents.
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