As every scuba diver knows, panic is your worst enemy: when it hits, your mind starts to thrash and you are likely to do something really stupid and self-destructive. Daniel Dennett baddestructivediver Change image and share on social
The juvenile sea squirt wanders through the sea searching for a suitable rock or hunk of coral to cling to and make its home for life. For this task, it has a rudimentary nervous system. When it finds its spot and takes root, it doesn't need its brain anymore so it eats it! Daniel Dennett anymorebraincling share on social
We should get used to the idea that we'll probably never be able to find - and confirm - a good explanation of the ultimate origin of the universe, though I see no reason to believe that we can't press much further on this question than we have managed to date. Daniel Dennett confirmdateexplanation share on social
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 biologycentristcomprehend Change image and share on social
Some of the greatest, most revolutionary advances in science have been given their initial expression in attractively modest terms, with no fanfare. Daniel Dennett advanceattractivelyexpression Change image and share on social
We adore babies because they're so cute. And, of course, we are amused by jokes because they are funny. This is all backwards. It is. And Darwin shows us why. Daniel Dennett adoreamusebaby Change image and share on social
I think many people are terribly afraid of being demoted by the Darwinian scheme from the role of authors and creators in their own right into being just places where things happen in the universe. Daniel Dennett afraidauthorcreator Change image and share on social
Wherever there is a design that is highly successful in a broad range of similar environments, it is apt to emerge again and again, independently - the phenomenon known in biology as convergent evolution. I call these designs 'good tricks.' Daniel Dennett aptbiologybroad share on social
Human freedom is not an illusion; it is an objective phenomenon, distinct from all other biological conditions and found in only one species - us. Daniel Dennett biologicalconditiondistinct Change image and share on social
Words have a genealogy and it's easier to trace the evolution of a single word than the evolution of a language. Daniel Dennett easyevolutiongenealogy Change image and share on social
