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Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish. Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to, because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs, something that no other species has ever aspired to do.

Richard Dawkins

If there is a human moral to be drawn, it is that we must teach our children altruism, for we cannot expect it to be part of their biological nature.
RICHARD DAWKINS

Biology Children Expectation Human Moral Nature Teaching
We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further.
RICHARD DAWKINS

Atheist Believe God Humanity
When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called Religion.
RICHARD DAWKINS

Atheist Delusion Insanity People Religion Suffering
Faith is belief without evidence and reason; coincidentally that’s also the definition of delusion.
RICHARD DAWKINS

Belief Delusion Evidence Faith Reason
We are survival machines – robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes. This is a truth which still fills me with astonishment.
RICHARD DAWKINS

Evolution Machine Molecule Science Survival Truth Vehicle
Any altruistic system is inherently unstable, because it is open to abuse by selfish individuals, ready to exploit it.
RICHARD DAWKINS

Exploit Individual Ready Selfish System
The important thing to remember about mathematics is not to be frightened.
RICHARD DAWKINS

Important Mathematics
Let children learn about different faiths, let them notice their incompatibility, and let them draw their own conclusions about the consequences of that incompatibility.
RICHARD DAWKINS

Children Conclusion Consequence Different Faith Learning
The idea of a divine creator belittles the elegant reality of the universe.
RICHARD DAWKINS

Divine Elegance Ideas Reality Science Universe
Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish. Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to, because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs, something that no other species has ever aspired to do.
RICHARD DAWKINS

Born Chance Generosity Science Selfish Understand Upset
It often turns out on closer inspection that acts of apparent altruism are really selfishness in disguise.
RICHARD DAWKINS

Act Disguise Inspection Selfish
Religion is about turning untested belief into unshakable truth through the power of institutions and the passage of time.
RICHARD DAWKINS

Belief Institution Passage Power Religion Time Truth
Faith is one of the world’s great evils, comparable to the smallpox virus but harder to eradicate.
RICHARD DAWKINS

Comparison Evil Faith Greatness Virus World
American political opportunities are loaded against those who are simultaneously intelligent and honest.
RICHARD DAWKINS

Against Country Honesty Intelligence Opportunity Politics
Sometimes in life it is a good idea to stop, sometimes it is a good idea to go on. The trick is to decide when to stop.
RICHARD DAWKINS

Decision Ideas Life Stop Trick
Human suffering has been caused because too many of us cannot grasp that words are only tools for our use.
RICHARD DAWKINS

Cause Grasp Human Reality Suffering Tool Word

Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish. Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to, because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs, something that no other species has ever aspired to do.

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Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish. Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to, because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs, something that no other species has ever aspired to do.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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