Wilson, E. O. -- Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge, ch. 11 “Ethics and Religion” (1998)

Dave — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 14:31:01 +0000

True character arises from a deeper well than religion. It is the internalization of moral principles of a society, augmented by those tenets personally chosen by the individual, strong enough to endure through trials of solitude and adversity. The principles are fitted together into what we call integrity, literally the integrated self, wherein personal decisions feel good and true. Character is in turn the enduring source of virtue. It stands by itself and excites admiration in others. It is not obedience to authority, and while it is often consistent with and reinforced by religious belief, it is not piety.

E. O. Wilson (1929-2021) American biologist, naturalist, writer [Edward Osborne Wilson]
Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge, ch. 11 “Ethics and Religion” (1998)
(Source)

Wilson, E. O. -- Consilience, ch. 4 (1998)

Dave — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 03:08:49 +0000

That is, natural selection built the brain to survive in the world and only incidentally to understand it at a depth greater than is needed to survive. The proper task of scientists is to diagnose and correct the misalignment.

E. O. Wilson (1929-2021) American biologist, naturalist, writer [Edward Osborne Wilson]
Consilience, ch. 4 (1998)
(Source)

WIST Quotations

Wilson, E. O. -- Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge, ch. 11 “Ethics and Religion” (1998)

Wilson, E. O. -- Consilience, ch. 4 (1998)