Scientists have wonderfully explained the organization of the universe, but that's really all it claims to do, and I think it does that very successfully. Simon Conway Morris More Quotes by Simon Conway Morris More Quotes From Simon Conway Morris One can say with reasonable confidence that the likelihood of something analogous to a human evolving is really pretty high. Simon Conway Morris high say something confidence Most of the tree of life is effectively arranged. Simon Conway Morris most tree-of-life tree life Ethics are pre-determined and a matter of discovery, not a evolved concept. Simon Conway Morris concept ethics matter discovery Massive self-confidence is boring. Simon Conway Morris self-confidence massive boring If you go to the octopus, and if you're not too squeamish, dissect it. You'll find that it has a camera eye which is remarkable similar to our own. And yet we know that the octopus belongs to an invertebrate group called cephalopod mulluses, evolutionarily very distant indeed from the chordates to which we belong. Simon Conway Morris camera group you eye The common ancient ancestor of mulluses and chordates could not possibly have possessed a camera eye, so quite clearly they have evolved independently. The solution has been arrived at by completely different routes. Simon Conway Morris camera solution different eye The manner in which life constructs itself must be dealing with some other principle which we've failed to identify. Simon Conway Morris failed must some life Pikaia is a missing link because, of all chordates, it's probably the most primitive. Simon Conway Morris link because most missing I would argue that in any habitable zone that doesn't boil or freeze, intelligent life is going to emerge because intelligence is convergent. Simon Conway Morris going intelligence intelligent life As a number of people have stressed over the years, I think it would be premature to assume science itself will explain everything. Simon Conway Morris will think science people The fact that some things are mysterious or that they touch on mystery isn't in some way a capitulation, and one should realize that there are some things that we may never understand and, to that extent, should be humbled by that. Simon Conway Morris never understand mystery way I think the intellectual consistency of Christianity in historical evidence is frankly overwhelming, but my materialist colleagues regard me as a slightly sad case. Simon Conway Morris me colleagues consistency sad
