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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.

E. O. Wilson

Science for its part will test relentlessly every assumption about the human condition.
E. O. WILSON

Assumption Condition Human Part Relentless Science Test
If history and science have taught us anything, it is that passion and desire are not the same as truth.
E. O. WILSON

Anything Desire History Passion Same Science Taight Truth
The one process now going on that will take millions of years to correct is the loss of genetic and species diversity by the destruction of natural habitats.
E. O. WILSON

Correct Destruction Diversity Genetic Go Habitat Loss Million Natural Now Only Process Species Take Will Year
This is the folly our descendants are least likely to forgive us.
E. O. WILSON

Descendant Folly Forgive Least Likely Our
In many environments, take away the ants and there would be partial collapses in many of the land ecosystems.
E. O. WILSON

Ant Away Collapse Ecosystem Environment Land Many Partial
Change will come slowly, across generations, because old beliefs die hard even when demonstrably false.
E. O. WILSON

Across Belief Change Come Demonstrate Even Fall Generation Hard Slowly
It’s always been a great survival value for people to believe they belong to a superior tribe. That’s just in human relationships.
E. O. WILSON

Always Been Belief Belong Great Human People Relationship Superior Survival Tribe Value
Religious belief itself is an adaptation that has evolved because we’re hard-wired to form tribalistic religions.
E. O. WILSON

Adaption Belief Evolved Hard Itself Religion Tribalistic Wired
The moral imperative of humanism is the endeavor alone, whether successful or not, provided the effort is honorable and failure memorable.
E. O. WILSON

Alone Effort Endeavour Honorable Humanism Imperative Moral Provide Succesful Successful
Jehovah had nothing to say to Moses and the others about the care of the planet. He had plenty to say about tribal loyalty and conquest.
E. O. WILSON

Care Conquest Consequence Loyalty Moses Nothing Other Planet Plenty Say Stay Tribal
Religious beliefs evolved by group-selection, tribe competing against tribe, and the illogic of religions is not a weakness but their essential strength.
E. O. WILSON

Belief Competing Essential Evolve Group Illogic Religion Selection Strength Weakness
Ants make up two-thirds of the biomass of all the insects. There are millions of species of organisms and we know almost nothing about them.
E. O. WILSON

All Ant Biomass Insect Make Third Two
I tend to believe that religious dogma is a consequence of evolution.
E. O. WILSON

Believe Consequence Dogma Evolution Religious Tend
Perhaps the time has come to cease calling it the ‘environmentalist’ view, as though it were a lobbying effort outside the mainstream of human activity, and to start calling it the real-world view.
E. O. WILSON

Cail Cease Come Environment Perhaps Time View
Our brain is mapping the world. Often that map is distorted, but it’s a map with constant immediate sensory input.
E. O. WILSON

Brain Constant Distrore Immediate Input Map Often Sensory World
By any reasonable measure of achievement, the faith of the Enlightenment thinkers in science was justified.
E. O. WILSON

Achievement Enlightenment Faith Justify Measure Reasonable Science Think

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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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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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