Your brain may give birth to any technology, but other brains will decide whether the technology thrives. The number of possible technologies… — Robert Wright Affinity Copy Share Image
“What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?" asked the Christian theologian Tertullian... Having received the revealed thruth via Christ, "we want no… — Robert Wright Copy Share Image
“A female in a high-MPI species may seek signs of generosity, trustworthiness, and, especially, an enduring commitment to her in particular.” — Robert Wright Copy Share Image
“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 Buddhism Copy Share Image
“The keen sensitivity with which people detect the flaws of their rivals is one of nature's wonders. It takes a Herculean effort… — Robert Wright Empathy Copy Share Image
“realizing you’re not king can be the first step toward getting some real power.” — Robert Wright First step Copy Share Image
“So if the conscious mind isn’t in control, what is in control?” — Robert Wright Conscious mind Copy Share Image
“happiness comes down to choosing between the discomfort of becoming aware of your mental afflictions and the discomfort of being ruled by… — Robert Wright Happiness Copy Share Image
“They will, on the one hand, have sex with just about anything that moves, given an easy chance, like males in a… — Robert Wright Copy Share Image
Like a lawyer, the human brain wants victory, not truth; and, like a lawyer, it is sometimes more admirable for skill than… — Robert Wright Admirable Copy Share Image
“It may seem seem cynical to see all religion as basically self-serving, and indeed the idea has been put pithily by a… — Robert Wright Religion Copy Share Image
“Brewer said the basic idea is to not fight the urge to, say, smoke a cigarette. That doesn’t mean you succumb to… — Robert Wright Copy Share Image
Humans have various ways of coping with extended stress, and one is the anticipation of a better time. Here, as with retribution,… — Robert Wright Anticipation Copy Share Image
God knows greed won't vanish. Neither will hatred or chauvanism. Human nature is a stubborn thing. But it isn't beyond control. Even… — Robert Wright Beyond control Copy Share Image
“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 Faith Copy Share Image
“Maybe it shouldn’t surprise us that Buddhism, with all its early austerity, was founded by a man who, as a member of… — Robert Wright Buddhism Copy Share Image
“The sages may have been self-serving, like the rest of us, but that doesn't mean they weren't sages.” — Robert Wright Evolutionary psychology Copy Share Image
“the conscious self doesn’t create thoughts; it receives them.” — Robert Wright Philosophy of Mind Copy Share Image
Giving men marriage tips is a little like offering Vikings a free booklet titled How Not to Pillage. — Robert Wright Giving Copy Share Image
“Is there something? Is there anything? Is there any evidence of something? Any signs that there's more to life that the sum… — Robert Wright Life Copy Share Image
Think of it : zillions and zillions of organisms running around, each under the hypnotic spell of a single truth, all these… — Robert Wright Absurdity Copy Share Image
“There is in the world today a great and mysterious force that shapes the fortunes of millions of people. It is called… — Robert Wright Investing Copy Share Image
“Our entire notion of good and bad, our whole landscape of feelings—fear, lust, love, and the many other feelings, salient and subtle,… — Robert Wright Good and bad Copy Share Image
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 First step Copy Share Image
