People need a sacred narrative. They must have a sense of larger purpose, in one form or another, however intellectualized. They will find a way to keep ancestral spirits alive.
E. O. WILSONWhat’s been gratifying is to live long enough to see molecular biology and evolutionary biology growing toward each other and uniting in research efforts.
More E. O. Wilson Quotes
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If history and science have taught us anything, it is that passion and desire are not the same as truth.
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If those committed to the quest fail, they will be forgiven. When lost, they will find another way.
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It’s obvious that the key problem facing humanity in the coming century is how to bring a better quality of life – for 8 billion or more people – without wrecking the environment entirely in the attempt.
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Theology made no provision for evolution. The biblical authors had missed the most important revelation of all! Could it be that they were not really privy to the thoughts of God?
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Destroying rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal.
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You are capable of more than you know. Choose a goal that seems right for you and strive to be the best, however hard the path.
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Willing to try to get a better atmosphere through a demonstration of democratic principles, fairness and cooperation, a better product, those will win in the end.
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If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.
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An individual ant, even though it has a brain about a millionth of a size of a human being’s, can learn a maze; the kind we use is a simple rat maze in a laboratory. They can learn it about one-half as fast as a rat.
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Political ideology can corrupt the mind, and science.
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One thing I did was grow up as an ardent naturalist. I never grew out of my bug period.
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Companies that are willing to share, to withhold in order to further the growth of the company.
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Persist! The world needs all you can give.
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I’m very much a Christian in ideals and ethics, especially in terms of belief in fairness, a deep set obligation to others, and the virtues of charity, tolerance and generosity that we associate with traditional Christian teaching.
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Science and religion are the two most powerful forces in the world. Having them at odds… is not productive.
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We ought to recognize that religious strife is not the consequence of differences among people. It’s about conflicts between creation stories.
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There doesn’t seem to be any other way of creating the next green revolution without GMOs.
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Every kid has a bug period… I never grew out of mine.
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The two major challenges for the 21st century are to improve the economic situation of the majority and save as much of the planet as we can.
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The moral imperative of humanism is the endeavor alone, whether successful or not, provided the effort is honorable and failure memorable.
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The variety of genes on the planet in viruses exceeds, or is likely to exceed, that in all of the rest of life combined.
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Religious beliefs evolved by group-selection, tribe competing against tribe, and the illogic of religions is not a weakness but their essential strength.
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We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom.
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In many environments, take away the ants and there would be partial collapses in many of the land ecosystems.
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I tend to believe that religious dogma is a consequence of evolution.
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In some ways, I had a traditional ‘old South’ upbringing, meaning that I spent some time in a military school, and acquired an
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