Species Quotes by Neel Burton

1 Species quote by Neel Burton

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According to the Buddha, the failure to recognize the illusion of the self is the source of all ignorance and unhappiness. It is only by renouncing the self, that is, by dropping his ego defences and committing metaphorical suicide, that…

Neel Burton

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“Loneliness is the manifestation of the conflict between our desire for meaning and the absence of objective meaning from the universe.”

Neel Burton

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“Just as Prometheus delivered stolen fire to man, so Eve, and the serpent, delivered man into self-consciousness, setting him up, were it not for his short lifespan, as rival to God. At the same time, man’s self-consciousness removed him from nature into a life of toil, doubt, fear, guilt, shame, blame, enmity, loneliness, and frailty—and the product of this separation,…

Neel Burton

“Just as we use speech and gestures to communicate, so we use touch. Words can say, ‘I love you’, but touch can also say how and how much, and, at the same time, ‘I respect you’, ‘I need you’, and ‘thank you’. For a long time, scientists somehow thought that touch served merely to emphasize a verbal message. But now…

Neel Burton

Depression: the healthy suspicion that modern life has no meaning and that modern society is absurd and alienating.

Neel Burton

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“Ultimately, loneliness is not the experience of lacking but the experience of living. It is part and parcel of the human condition, and, unless a person is resolved, it can only be a matter of time before it resurfaces, often with a vengeance. On this account, loneliness is the manifestation of the conflict between our desire for meaning and the…

Neel Burton

Man first creates the universe in his image, and then turns round to say that God created man in his image... As Voltaire quipped,…

Neel Burton

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“Philosophy is a bitter medicine with many fearsome side effects, but if you are able to stomach it, it can cure your soul of the many ills and infirmities of ignorance. Given the choice, most men prefer not to take it, and many of those who do soon find that they cannot carry on with it. In the end, they…

Neel Burton

“In refining their senses and aesthetic judgement, blind tasters become much more conscious of the richness not only of wine but also of other…

Neel Burton

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Self-deception is a defining part of our human nature. By recognizing its various forms in ourselves and reflecting upon them, we may be able to disarm them and even, in some cases, to employ and enjoy them. This self-knowledge opens up a whole new world before us, rich in beauty and subtlety, and frees us not only to take the…

Neel Burton