Evolution Quotes by Robert Wright

8 Evolution quotes by Robert Wright

All Evolution quotes Robert Wright’s page

Robert Wright’s take on evolution intertwines psychology with biological theory, highlighting the role of ideas in shaping humanity. This short set of eight quotes offers a quick look at his interdisciplinary storytelling.

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“natural selection didn’t design your mind to see the world clearly; it designed your mind to have perceptions and beliefs that would…

Robert Wright

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Think of it : zillions and zillions of organisms running around, each under the hypnotic spell of a single truth, all these…

Robert Wright

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Understanding the often unconscious nature of genetic control is the first step toward understanding that—in many realms, not just sex—we’re all puppets,…

Robert Wright

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Religion is a feature of cultural evolution that, among other things, addresses anxieties created by cultural evolution; it helps keep social change…

Robert Wright

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“Here the contention is not just that the new Darwinian paradigm can help us realize whichever moral values we happen to choose.…

Robert Wright

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Actually, there is a sense in which polygynous marriage has not been the historical norm - even where polygyny is permitted, multiple…

Robert Wright

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“Perhaps the most legitimately dispiriting thing about reciprocal altruism is that it is a misnomer. Whereas with kin selection the "goal" of…

Robert Wright

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Darwin was one of our finest specimens. He did superbly what human beings are designed to do: manipulate social information to personal…

Robert Wright

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More by Robert Wright

Your brain may give birth to any technology, but other brains will decide whether the technology thrives. The number of possible technologies is infinite,…

Robert Wright

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“What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?" asked the Christian theologian Tertullian... Having received the revealed thruth via Christ, "we want no curious disputation."…

Robert Wright

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“A female in a high-MPI species may seek signs of generosity, trustworthiness, and, especially, an enduring commitment to her in particular.”

Robert Wright

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“And don’t feel like you’re committing a felony-level violation of Buddhist dogma just because you think of yourself as being a self.”

Robert Wright

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“The keen sensitivity with which people detect the flaws of their rivals is one of nature's wonders. It takes a Herculean effort to control…

Robert Wright

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“realizing you’re not king can be the first step toward getting some real power.”

Robert Wright

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“So if the conscious mind isn’t in control, what is in control?”

Robert Wright

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“happiness comes down to choosing between the discomfort of becoming aware of your mental afflictions and the discomfort of being ruled by them.”

Robert Wright

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“They will, on the one hand, have sex with just about anything that moves, given an easy chance, like males in a low-MPI species.…

Robert Wright

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Like a lawyer, the human brain wants victory, not truth; and, like a lawyer, it is sometimes more admirable for skill than virtue.

Robert Wright

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“It may seem seem cynical to see all religion as basically self-serving, and indeed the idea has been put pithily by a famous cynic.…

Robert Wright

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“Brewer said the basic idea is to not fight the urge to, say, smoke a cigarette. That doesn’t mean you succumb to the urge…

Robert Wright

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Humans have various ways of coping with extended stress, and one is the anticipation of a better time. Here, as with retribution, there is…

Robert Wright

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God knows greed won't vanish. Neither will hatred or chauvanism. Human nature is a stubborn thing. But it isn't beyond control. Even if our…

Robert Wright

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“natural selection didn’t design your mind to see the world clearly; it designed your mind to have perceptions and beliefs that would help take…

Robert Wright

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