Richard Dawkins · 336 pages
Rating: (6.8K votes)
“The facts are as follows. The total amount of DNA in different organisms is very variable, and the variation does not make obvious sense in terms of phylogeny. This is the so-called ‘C-value paradox’. ‘It seems totally implausible that the number of radically different genes needed in a salamander is 20 times that found in a man’ (Orgel & Crick 1980). It is equally implausible that salamanders on the West side of North America should need many times more DNA than congeneric salamanders on the East side.”
― Richard Dawkins, quote from The Extended Phenotype: The Long Reach of the Gene
“The whole purpose of our search for a ‘unit of selection’ is to discover a suitable actor to play the leading role in our metaphors of purpose.”
― Richard Dawkins, quote from The Extended Phenotype: The Long Reach of the Gene
“Adoption and contraception, like reading, mathematics, and stress-induced illness, are products of an animal that is living in an environment radically different from the one in which its genes were naturally selected.”
― Richard Dawkins, quote from The Extended Phenotype: The Long Reach of the Gene
“To the extent that active germ-line replicators benefit from the survival of the bodies in which they sit, we may expect to see adaptations that can be interpreted as for bodily survival. A large number of adaptations are of this type. To the extent that active germ-line replicators benefit from the survival of bodies other than those in which they sit, we may expect to see ‘altruism’, parental care, etc. To the extent that active germ-line replicators benefit from the survival of the group of individuals in which they sit, over and above the two effects just mentioned, we may expect to see adaptations for the preservation of the group.”
― Richard Dawkins, quote from The Extended Phenotype: The Long Reach of the Gene
“Why are genetic determinants thought to be any more ineluctable, or blame-absolving, than ‘environmental’ ones?”
― Richard Dawkins, quote from The Extended Phenotype: The Long Reach of the Gene
Richard Dawkins
Born place: in Nairobi, Kenya
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“Sir, come quick. They've found a body in the canal."
I blew out my breath. Saved by the corpse.
...The corpse in question was Nigel Nicabar.
The watchers had collected the bodies found in Nigel's house, garden, and canal, and put them in the greenhouse located at the back of the garden. The necromancer's talents weren't with living things, so the greenhouse's tables were pretty much empty - at least of plants. Dead goblins lay under sheets and tarps. I couldn't help feeling that Nigel would have approved. What he wouldn't have approved of was being included among them. Nigel wouldn't have been caught dead surrounded by goblins, yet that's exactly how and where he was. I don't think he would have appreciated the irony.”
― Lisa Shearin, quote from Magic Lost, Trouble Found
“O alegre e claro espelho de minha alma era muitas vezes embaçado por uma espécie de melancolia mas, por ora, não havia sido seriamente danificado. Ela aparecia de tempos em tempos, durante um dia ou uma noite, como uma tristeza sonhadora e solitária; desaparecia depois sem deixar traços, voltando após algumas semanas ou meses. Aos poucos fui me habituando a ela, como a uma amiga e confidente, não a recebendo como um tormento, mas como um cansaço inquieto, que não deixava de ter seu encanto. Quando ela me surpreendia de noite eu ficava, em vez de dormir, horas inteiras à janela, olhava o lago mergulhado na escuridão, as silhuetas das montanhas desenhadas no palor do céu e bem no alto, as belas estrelas. Então apossava-se de mim com frequência um sentimento doce e vigoroso, como se eu fosse contemplado por toda aquela formosura da noite, com uma justa censura. Como se estrelas, montanhas e lagos aspirassem por alguém que compreendesse sua beleza e o sofrimento da sua natureza calada e a expressasse, como se eu fosse aquele ser e como se fosse essa a minha verdadeira missão. a de dar, em poesias, uma expressão à natureza muda. De que maneira isso seria possível não sei, jamais pensei nisso, apenas sentia que a bela e severa noite esperava por mim, impaciente, numa ânsia silente. (p. 42)”
― Hermann Hesse, quote from Peter Camenzind
“He did look like an Italian of the worse type, though Vic didn't think he was, and it was an insult to the Italian race to assume that he was. He resembled no particular race, only an amalgamation of the worst elements of various Latin peoples. He looked as if he had spent all his life dodging blows that were probably aimed at him for good reason.”
― Patricia Highsmith, quote from Deep Water
“Specialisation encouraged innovation, because it encouraged the investment of time in a tool-making tool. That saved time, and prosperity is simply time saved, which is proportional to the division of labour.”
― Matt Ridley, quote from The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves
“Imagine how quickly Christianity would have failed if Bible scholars could quote Jesus as saying, “Love thy neighbor as thyself . . . as long as he’s a Christian. Otherwise, go ahead and kill him. You’ll be doing us both a favor, believe me.” I”
― David Wilcock, quote from The Source Field Investigations: The Hidden Science and Lost Civilizations Behind the 2012 Prophecies
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