Teleology is like a mistress to a biologist: he cannot live without her but he's unwilling to be seen with her in public. John B. S. Haldane More Quotes by John B. S. Haldane More Quotes From John B. S. Haldane Man armed with science is like a baby with a box of matches. John B. S. Haldane baby men science This is my prediction for the future: Whatever hasn't happened will happen, and no one will be safe from it. John B. S. Haldane predictions modern-life safe Money can buy a fine dog but it is kindness that makes him wag his tail. John B. S. Haldane dog kindness tails Science is vastly more stimulating to the imagination than the classics. John B. S. Haldane imagination Einstein - the greatest Jew since Jesus. I have no doubt that Einstein's name will still be remembered and revered when Lloyd George, Foch and William Hohenzollern share with Charlie Chaplin that ineluctable oblivion which awaits the uncreative mind. John B. S. Haldane names science jesus Capitalism, though it may not always give the scientific worker a living wage, will always protect him, as being one of the geese which produce golden eggs for its table. John B. S. Haldane eggs money giving The conservative has but little to fear from the man whose reason is the servant of his passions, but let him beware of him in whom reason has become the greatest and most terrible of the passions. These are the wreckers of outworn empires and civilisations, doubters, disintegrators, deicides. John B. S. Haldane passion littles men The Creator would appear as endowed with a passion for stars, on the one hand, and for beetles on the other, for the simple reason that there are nearly 300,000 species of beetle known, and perhaps more, as compared with somewhat less than 9,000 species of birds and a little over 10,000 species of mammals. John B. S. Haldane beetles fondness Haldane was engaged in discussion with an eminent theologian. "What inference," asked the latter, "might one draw about the nature of God from a study of his works?" Haldane replied: "An inordinate fondness for beetles." John B. S. Haldane study god might Would I lay down my life to save my brother? No, but I would to save two brothers or eight cousins. John B. S. Haldane cousin eight brother Christianity is haunted by the theory of a God with a craving for bloody sacrifices. John B. S. Haldane sacrifice christianity god We must learn not to take traditional morals too seriously. And it is just because even the least dogmatic of religions tends to associate itself with some kind of unalterable moral tradition, that there can be no truce between science and religion. John B. S. Haldane moral tradition kind The wise man regulates his conduct by the theories both of religion and science. But he regards these theories not as statements of ultimate fact but as art-forms. John B. S. Haldane wise men art Reality is the cage of those who lack imagination. John B. S. Haldane cages imagination reality If human beings could be propagated by cutting, like apple trees, aristocracy would be biologically sound. John B. S. Haldane apples cutting tree The conclusion forced upon me in the course of a life devoted to natural science is that the universe as it is assumed to be in physical science is only an idealized world, while the real universe is the spiritual universe in which spiritual values count for everything. John B. S. Haldane real spiritual science To the biologist the problem of socialism appears largely as a problem of size. John B. S. Haldane eugenics size problem The advance of scientific knowledge does not seem to make either our universe or our inner life in it any less mysterious. John B. S. Haldane doe science knowledge If one could conclude as to the nature of the Creator from a study of creation it would appear that God has an inordinate fondness for stars and beetles. John B. S. Haldane creation study stars There is no great invention, from fire to flying, which has not been hailed as an insult to some god. John B. S. Haldane fire funny science
