--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: True majorities, in a TV-dominated and…" description: "\"True majorities, in a TV-dominated and anti-intellectual age, may need sound bites and flashing lights and I am not against supplying such lures if the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/stephen-jay-gould-885_age_true-majorities-in-a-tv-dominated-and-an_729797.jpg" --- # True majorities, in a TV-dominated and anti-intellectual… ![“True majorities, in a TV-dominated and anti-intellectual age, may need sound bites and flashing lights and I am not against supplying such lures if they draw children into even a transient concern with science. But every classroom has one [Oliver] Sacks , one [Eric] Korn, or one [Jonathan] Miller…” quote by Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/stephen-jay-gould-885_age_true-majorities-in-a-tv-dominated-and-an_729797.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/stephen-jay-gould-885_age_true-majorities-in-a-tv-dominated-and-an_729797.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28b/stephen-jay-gould-885_age_true-majorities-in-a-tv-dominated-and-an_729797.jpg) > “True majorities, in a TV-dominated and anti-intellectual age, may need sound bites and flashing lights and I am not against supplying such lures if they draw children into even a transient concern with science. But every classroom has one \[Oliver\] Sacks , one \[Eric\] Korn, or one \[Jonathan\] Miller , usually a lonely child with a passionate curiosity about nature, and a zeal that overcomes pressures for conformity. Do not the one in fifty deserve their institutions as well magic places, like cabinet museums, that can spark the rare flames of genius?” [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science communication must balance appeal with depth to inspire lasting curiosity, especially in children. **In simple terms:** Science needs engaging hooks but deeper learning. Key Takeaway Blend excitement with substance. Themes education science curiosity inspiration Mood hopeful reflective Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - classroom teaching - museum visits - science outreach - media campaigns Key Concepts public engagement pedagogy motivation Questions to Reflect On - How can educators keep kids interested without sacrificing rigor? - What role should media play in science education? A Different Perspective Overreliance on spectacle can dilute understanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Bites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bites/) [Cabinets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cabinets/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Classroom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classroom/) [Classroom Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classroom-oliver-5719076/) [Concern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concern/) [Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity/) [Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) [Deserve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deserve/) [Draws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draws/) [Eric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eric/) [Fifty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fifty/) [Flames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flames/) [Flashing lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flashing-lights/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Institutions Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions-magic-5719075/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely/) [Lonely child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely-child/) [Lure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lure/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/majority/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Museums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/museums/) [Museums Spark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/museums-spark-5719074/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oliver-sacks-222525/) [Overcoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcoming/) [Passionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionate/) [Pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pressure/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science Classroom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-classroom-2791588/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Sound bites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound-bites/) [Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sparks/) [Transient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transient/) [Tvs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tvs/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Zeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zeal/) ## Related quotes > [“Her muscles clearly were not just for show. She pulled him into an empty chemistry classroom and closed the door. There were workstations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/her-muscles-clearly-were-not-just-for-show-she-pulled-him-into-an/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [In terms of essays, I would say Oliver Sacks. His breadth of hard knowledge and imagination and empathy seems to constitute the perfect mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/in-terms-of-essays-i-would-say-oliver-sacks-his-breadth-of-hard/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“I don’t so much fear death as I do wasting life.” Oliver Sacks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hayes/i-don-t-so-much-fear-death-as-i-do-wasting-life-oliver-sacks/) [Bill Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hayes/) > [“We now know that memories are not fixed or frozen, like Proust’s jars of preserves in a larder, but are transformed, disassembled, reassembled, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/we-now-know-that-memories-are-not-fixed-or-frozen-like-proust-s-jars/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [Oliver Sacks remains my hero to this day. He was one of the first medical writers I read. The other was Lewis Thomas, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/oliver-sacks-remains-my-hero-to-this-day-he-was-one-of-the-first/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [For delightfully quirky descriptions of bizarre neurological syndromes that teach us a lot about how the brain works, there is no match for Oliver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/for-delightfully-quirky-descriptions-of-bizarre-neurological/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Of all the needs (there are none imaginary) a lonely child has, the one that must be satisfied, if there is going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/of-all-the-needs-there-are-none-imaginary-a-lonely-child-has-the-one-2/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I never get lonely; even as a child, I didn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-rigg/i-never-get-lonely-even-as-a-child-i-didn-t/) [Diana Rigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-rigg/) > [Lonely children often have imaginary playmates but I was never lonely; rather, I was solitary, and wanted no company at all other than books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/lonely-children-often-have-imaginary-playmates-but-i-was-never-lonely/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Of all the needs (there are none imaginary) a lonely child has, the one that must be satisfied, if there is going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/of-all-the-needs-there-are-none-imaginary-a-lonely-child-has-the-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I had the lonely child's habit of making up stories and holding conversations with imaginary persons, and I think from the very start my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/i-had-the-lonely-child-s-habit-of-making-up-stories-and-holding/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I was never a lonely child who sat looking at the rain sliding down the window,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/i-was-never-a-lonely-child-who-sat-looking-at-the-rain-sliding-down/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [Writing has always allowed me to escape. I was a very lonely child. Because I was very socially awkward, I would always have trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/writing-has-always-allowed-me-to-escape-i-was-a-very-lonely-child/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [I wasn't lonely as a child. I was the eldest of four and always had lots of people around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-dahl/i-wasn-t-lonely-as-a-child-i-was-the-eldest-of-four-and-always-had/) [Sophie Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-dahl/) > [I was a lonely child. My brother Tony and I were never very close, neither as children nor as adults, but I was tightly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anjelica-huston/i-was-a-lonely-child-my-brother-tony-and-i-were-never-very-close/) [Anjelica Huston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anjelica-huston/) ## More by Stephen Jay Gould > [I strongly reject any conceptual scheme that places our options on a line, and holds that the only alternative to a pair of extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-strongly-reject-any-conceptual-scheme-that-places-our-options-on-a/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [History employs evolution to structure biological events in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/history-employs-evolution-to-structure-biological-events-in-time/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [In his anti-Darwinian book... (and eponymously named The Neck of the Giraffe ), Francis Hitching tells the story... "The need to survive by reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/in-his-anti-darwinian-book-and-eponymously-named-the-neck-of-the/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [... many folks take them seriously because they just 'know' that evolution can never be seen in the immediate here and now. In fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/many-folks-take-them-seriously-because-they-just-know-that-evolution/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Charles Darwin viewed the fossil record more as an embarrassment than as an aid to his theory ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/charles-darwin-viewed-the-fossil-record-more-as-an-embarrassment-than/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Zoocentrism is the primary fallacy of human sociobiology, for this view of human behavior rests on the argument that if the actions of "lower"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/zoocentrism-is-the-primary-fallacy-of-human-sociobiology-for-this/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The world, unfortunately, rarely matches our hopes and consistently refuses to behave in a reasonable manner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-world-unfortunately-rarely-matches-our-hopes-and-consistently/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The true beauty of nature is her amplitude; she exists neither for nor because of us, and possesses a staying power that all our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-true-beauty-of-nature-is-her-amplitude-she-exists-neither-for-nor/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [With copious evidence ranging from Plato's haughtiness to Beethoven's tirades, we may conclude that the most brilliant people of history tend to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/with-copious-evidence-ranging-from-plato-s-haughtiness-to-beethoven-s/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [When scientists need to explain difficult points of theory, illustration by hypothetical example - rather than by total abstraction - works well (perhaps indispensably)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/when-scientists-need-to-explain-difficult-points-of-theory/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The truly awesome intellectuals in our history have not merely made discoveries; they have woven variegated, but firm, tapestries of comprehensive coverage. The tapestries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-truly-awesome-intellectuals-in-our-history-have-not-merely-made/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I believe that we can still have a genre of scientific books suitable for and accessible alike to professionals and interested laypeople. The concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-believe-that-we-can-still-have-a-genre-of-scientific-books-suitable/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Science simply cannot adjudicate the issue of God's possible superintendence of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/science-simply-cannot-adjudicate-the-issue-of-god-s-possible/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [But if we laugh with derision, we will never understand. Human intellectual capacity has not altered for thousands of years so far as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/but-if-we-laugh-with-derision-we-will-never-understand-human/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [We debase the richness of both nature and our own minds if we view the great pageant of our intellectual history as a compendium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-debase-the-richness-of-both-nature-and-our-own-minds-if-we-view/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) [Explore all 341 Stephen Jay Gould quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "True majorities, in a TV-dominated and anti-intellectual age, may need sound bites and flashing lights and I am not against supplying such lures if they draw children into even a transient concern with science. But every classroom has one [Oliver] Sacks , one [Eric] Korn, or one [Jonathan] Miller , usually a lonely child with a passionate curiosity about nature, and a zeal that overcomes pressures for conformity. 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