Daniel C. Dennett

“It is not “scientism” to concede the objectivity and precision of good science, any more than it is history worship to concede…

— Daniel C. Dennett

“Some years ago, there was a lovely philosopher of science and journalist in Italy named Giulio Giorello, and he did an interview…

— Daniel C. Dennett

“I think we should stop treating ["God works in mysterious ways"] as any kind of wisdom and recognize it as the transparently…

— Daniel C. Dennett

“Nobody ever became a famous philosopher by being a champion of ecumenical hybridism.”

— Daniel C. Dennett

“human beings are actually more closely related to the two species of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes, the familiar chimp, and Pan paniscus, the…

— Daniel C. Dennett

“Is this Tree of Life a God one could worship? Pray to? Fear? Probably not. But it did make the ivy twine…

— Daniel C. Dennett

“But if it is true that human minds are themselves to a very great degree the creations of memes, then we cannot…

— Daniel C. Dennett

“prosaic, pedestrian example, but everything”

— Daniel C. Dennett

“This 'web of discourses' as Robyn called it...is as much a biological product as any of the other constructions to be found…

— Daniel C. Dennett

“We can now expose perhaps the most common misunderstanding of Darwinism: the idea that Darwin showed that evolution by natural selection is…

— Daniel C. Dennett

“Carpenters don’t make their saws and hammers, tailors don’t make their scissors and needles, and plumbers don’t make their wrenches, but blacksmiths…

— Daniel C. Dennett

“As I have often noted, a wagon with spoked wheels doesn’t just carry grain or freight from place to place; it carries…

— Daniel C. Dennett

“Our fundamental tactic of self-protection, self-control, and self-definition is not spinning webs or building dams, but telling stories, and more particularly connecting…

— Daniel C. Dennett

“There is a species of primate in South America more gregarious than most other mammals, with a curious behavior.The members of this…

— Daniel C. Dennett

“atheists and agnostics can have sacred values, values that are simply not up for re-evaluation at all. I have sacred”

— Daniel C. Dennett

“Does that mean that religious texts are worthless as guides to ethics? Of course not. They are magnificent sources of insight into…

— Daniel C. Dennett

“That's a rhetorical question, and trying to answer rhetorical questions instead of being cowed by them is a good habit to cultivate.”

— Daniel C. Dennett

“One of the surprising discoveries of modern psychology is how easy it is to be ignorant of your own ignorance.”

— Daniel C. Dennett

“Ignorance is a necessary condition for many excellent things.”

— Daniel C. Dennett

“Words exist. What are they made of? Air under pressure? Ink? Some instances of the word "cat" are made of ink, and…

— Daniel C. Dennett

“Any theory that makes progress is bound to be initially counterintuitive.”

— Daniel C. Dennett

“The fundamental core of contemporary Darwinism, the theory of DNA-based reproduction and evolution, is now beyond dispute among scientists. It demonstrates its…

— Daniel C. Dennett

“Asked by a student for an example of infectious cultural junk that is hard to eradicate, I replied, "Well, it's like, when,…

— Daniel C. Dennett

“There is no future in a sacred myth. Why not? Because of our curiosity. (...) Whatever we hold precious, we cannot protect…

— Daniel C. Dennett

“Don’t be afraid of a little metaphor; it won’t bite you, but you should always make sure you know how to cash…

— Daniel C. Dennett