Most people believe they know how they themselves think, how others think too, and even how institutions evolve. But they are wrong.… — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
The great paradox of determinism and free will, which has held the attention of the wisest of philosophers and psychologists for generations,… — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
In some ways, I had a traditional 'old South' upbringing, meaning that I spent some time in a military school, and acquired… — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
I'm very much a Christian in ideals and ethics, especially in terms of belief in fairness, a deep set obligation to others,… — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
A very Faustian choice is upon us: whether to accept our corrosive and risky behavior as the unavoidable price of population and… — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
Science offers the boldest metaphysics of the age. It is a thoroughly human construct, driven by the faith that if we dream,… — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
To the extent that philosophical positions both confuse us and close doors to further inquiry, they are likely to be wrong. — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
Progress, then, is a property of the evolution of life as a whole by almost any conceivable intuitive standard.... let us not… — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
Without a trace of irony I can say I have been blessed with brilliant enemies. I owe them a great debt, because they redoubled… — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
It's always been a dream of mine, of exploring the living world, of classifying all the species and finding out what makes up the… — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
Competing is intense among humans, and within a group, selfish individuals always win. But in contests between groups, groups of altruists always beat groups… — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
The commitment must be much deeper - to let no species knowingly die; to take all reasonable action to protect every species and race… — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
Science is not marginal. Like art, it is a universal possession of humanity, and scientific knowledge has become a vital part of our species'… — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
The living environment is the biosphere, the thin layer around the world of living organisms. We're part of that. Our existence is dependent on… — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
The biological evolutionary perception of life and of human qualities is radically different from that of traditional religion, whether it's Southern Baptist or Islam… — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
We should preserve every scrap of biodiversity as priceless while we learn to use it and come to understand what it means to humanity. — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
In many environments, take away the ants and there would be partial collapses in many of the land ecosystems. — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
If those committed to the quest fail, they will be forgiven. When lost, they will find another way. The moral imperative of humanism is… — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
The extinctions ongoing worldwide promise to be at least as great as the mass extinction that occurred at the end of the age of… — E. O. Wilson Copy Share Image
