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
Now that mobile phones and the internet have altered the epistemic selective landscape in a revolutionary way, every religious organisation must scramble to evolve defences or become extinct. Daniel Dennett alterdefenceepistemic Change image and share on social
A child raised on a desert island, alone, without social interaction, without language, and thus lacking empathy, is still a sentient being. Daniel Dennett childdesertempathy Change image and 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
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
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
Darwin's idea of natural selection makes people uncomfortable because it reverses the direction of tradition. Daniel Dennett darwindirectionidea 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
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 actionconsciousnesscontent Change image and share on social
