I am a philosopher, not a scientist, and we philosophers are better at questions than answers. Daniel Dennett More Quotes by Daniel Dennett More Quotes From Daniel Dennett The theoretical fruits of deliberate oversimplification through idealization are not to be denied... Reality in all its messy particularity is too complicated to theorize about, taken straight. The issue is, rather (since every idealization is a strategic choice), which idealizations might really shed some light... which will just land us... diverting fairy tales. Daniel Dennett landtakenreality Isn't it true that whatever isn't determined by our genes must be determined by our environment? What else is there? There's Nature and there's Nurture. Is there also some X, some further contributor to what we are? There's Chance. Luck. This extra ingredient is important but doesn't have to come from the quantum bowels of our atoms or from some distant star. It is all around us in the causeless coin-flipping of our noisy world, automatically filling in the gaps of specification left unfixed by our genes, and unfixed by salient causes in our environment. Daniel Dennett luckstarsimportant Atheism, a term which will, I'm sure, eventually become as unnecessary as round-earthism. Daniel Dennett unnecessaryatheismterm Natural selection is not gene centrist and nor is biology all about genes; our comprehending minds are a result of our fast evolving culture. Daniel Dennett biologymindculture Reasons for declaring belief is not are not the same as reasons for believing in god. Daniel Dennett beliefbelievereligion There is no reality of consciousness independent of the effects of various vehicles of content on subsequent action (and hence, of course, on memory). Daniel Dennett independentmemoriesreality If the best the roboticists can hope for is the creation of some crude, cheesy, second-rate, artificial consciousness, they still win. Daniel Dennett cheesyconsciousnesswinning In order to make a perfect and beautiful machine, it is not requisite to know how to make it. All the works of human genius can be understood in the end to be products of a cascade of generate-and-test procedures that are, at bottom, algorithmic and mindless. Daniel Dennett perfectbeautifulorder Cost is always an object - the second law of thermodynamics sees to that Daniel Dennett economicscostlaw If nobody cares, then it doesn't matter what happens to flowers. Daniel Dennett careflowermatter I am inclined to think that nothing could matter more than what people love. At any rate, I can think of no value that I would place higher. I would not want to live in a world without love. Daniel Dennett lovepeoplethinking In fact, if you are faced with the prospect of running across an open field in which lightning bolts are going to be a problem, you are much better off if their timing and location are determined by something, since then they may be predictable by you, and hence avoidable. Determinism is the friend, not the foe, of those who dislike inevitability. Daniel Dennett fieldsmayrunning I don't think there is any religious revival. I think what we are hearing, the furor, is merely the hysterical response of the churches the handwriting on the wall that they are seeing. Daniel Dennett wallreligiousthinking I even agree that the concept of god helps some people lead better lives. That does happen. Don't ever forget it. I just think there are better ways to help people lead better lives. Daniel Dennett peoplereligionthinking Some cultural phenomena bear a striking resemblance to the cells of cell biology, actively preserving themselves in their social environments, finding the nutrients they need and fending off the causes of their dissolution. Daniel Dennett cellsbearsneeds ...but I also can't prove that mushrooms could not be intergalactic spaceships spying on us. Daniel Dennett spaceshipsmushroomsreligion I don't myself need that role for God. My view is that creation itself, the universe itself, is the most wonderful thing deserving awe and respect. And that satisfies me as my substitute for God. Daniel Dennett rolesviewsneeds
