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
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
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 cultural phenomena bear a striking resemblance to the cells of cell biology, actively preserving themselves in their social environments, finding the nutrients they need and fending off the causes of their dissolution. Daniel Dennett activelybearbiology share on social
In short, we need to recover the courage we celebrate in our heroes, and in particular, the courage to tolerate, for the sake of a free society, a level of risk we hardly ever imagined in the past. Daniel Dennett celebratecouragefree 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
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
