We need to let our children grow up to face the world armed with knowledge, with much more knowledge than we ourselves had at their age. It is scary, but the alternative is worse.
Daniel DennettRead
Let me lay my cards on the table. If I were to give an award for the single best idea anyone ever had, I'd give it to Darwin, ahead of even Newton or Einstein and everyone else. In a single stroke, the idea of evolution by natural selection unifies the realm of life, meaning, and purpose with the realm of space and time, cause and effect, mechanism and physical law. It is not just a wonderful idea. It is a dangerous idea.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the significance of Darwin's theory of evolution as a transformative and unifying concept in understanding life and the universe.
In this quote, Daniel Dennett highlights the revolutionary impact of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, suggesting it holds greater importance than other monumental ideas by figures like Newton or Einstein. By intertwining the understanding of life with fundamental concepts of space, time, and physical laws, Darwin's idea challenges existing beliefs and prompts critical reflection on our existence, thereby being labeled as both enlightening and potentially threatening.
Themes
DarwinEvolutionNatural SelectionScienceLifePurposeUnity
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about the history of science.
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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.
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