54 E. O. Wilson Quotes for You to Enjoy

E. O. Wilson

American Scientist

Born: Jun 10, 1929

Ants Life People Will World You

Related authors: Ben Carson Carl Sagan George Washington Carver Isaac Asimov Margaret Mead Neil deGrasse Tyson Sylvia Earle W. Edwards Deming

The work on ants has profoundly affected the way I think about humans. E. O. Wilson

Work Think Way About Affected Ants Humans Profoundly

When you get into the whole field of exploring, probably 90 percent of the kinds of organisms, plants, animals and especially microorganisms and tiny invertebrate animals are unknown. Then you realize that we live on a relatively unexplored plan. E. O. Wilson

You Plants Animals Field Live Unknown Relatively Kinds Percent Get Unexplored Tiny Plan Realize Then Organisms Exploring Whole

It's obvious that the key problem facing humanity in the coming century is how to bring a better quality of life - for 8 billion or more people - without wrecking the environment entirely in the attempt. E. O. Wilson

Even as empiricism is winning the mind, transcendentalism continues to win the heart. E. O. Wilson

Heart Win Mind Winning Even

I thought perhaps it should be recognized that religious people, including fundamentalists, are quite intelligent, many of them are highly educated, and they should be treated with complete respect. E. O. Wilson

Respect People Thought Complete Recognized Religious Religious People Highly Perhaps Educated Intelligent Quite Them Should Many Including Fundamentalists Treated

Ants are the leading removers of dead creatures on the land. And the rest of life is substantially dependent upon them. E. O. Wilson

Life Rest Leading Dead Ants Dependent Substantially Them Land Creatures

Real biologists who actually do the research will tell you that they almost never find a phenomenon, no matter how odd or irrelevant it looks when they first see it, that doesn't prove to serve a function. The outcome itself may be due to small accidents of evolution. E. O. Wilson

You Matter Will First Accidents Research Evolution Tell Outcome Find See Small Never Almost Looks How Real Due Prove Odd Itself Irrelevant May Who Function Serve Actually Biologists Phenomenon

Theology made no provision for evolution. The biblical authors had missed the most important revelation of all! Could it be that they were not really privy to the thoughts of God? E. O. Wilson

God Thoughts Bible Made Important Evolution Could Had Missed Most Revelation Were Provision Privy Authors The Most Important Really Theology

The historical circumstance of interest is that the tropical rain forests have persisted over broad parts of the continents since their origins as stronghold of the flowering plants 150 million years ago. E. O. Wilson

Rain Plants Broad Circumstance Tropical Over Since Parts Continents Years Years Ago Historical Forests Interest Origins Million Million Years Flowering

The variety of genes on the planet in viruses exceeds, or is likely to exceed, that in all of the rest of life combined. E. O. Wilson

Life Rest Viruses Exceed Variety Genes Combined Likely Planet

I see no way out of the problems that organized religion and tribalism create other than humans just becoming more honest and fully aware of themselves. E. O. Wilson

Religion Problems Other Way Out See More Becoming Than Just Themselves Create Organized Organized Religion Fully Aware Humans Honest

Once I feel I'm right, I have enjoyed provoking. E. O. Wilson

Once Feel Provoking Right Enjoyed

Of course, there is no reconciliation between the theory of evolution by natural selection and the traditional religious view of the origin of the human mind. E. O. Wilson

Natural Mind Evolution Religious Reconciliation Selection Between Course Traditional Human Natural Selection View Human Mind Theory Origin

It's the technique, I think, of writing a novel that is difficult for a nonfiction writer. E. O. Wilson

Writing Difficult Think Writer Nonfiction Novel Technique

I had in mind a message, although I hope it doesn't intrude too badly, persuading Americans, and especially Southerners, of the critical importance of land and our vanishing natural environment and wildlife. E. O. Wilson

In addition I wanted to write a Southern novel, because I'm a Southerner. E. O. Wilson

Addition Write Because Southern Southerner Wanted Novel

I had reached a point in my career in which I was ready to try something new in my writing, and the idea of a novel has always been in the back of my mind. E. O. Wilson

Writing Try Mind Back Something Something New Point Had Idea New Reached Ready Always Been Which Novel Career

In 2010, my two Harvard mathematician colleagues and I dismantled kin-selection theory, which was the reigning theory of the origin of altruism at the time. E. O. Wilson

Time Harvard Colleagues Altruism Mathematician Which Theory Origin Reigning Two

People respect nonfiction but they read novels. E. O. Wilson

Respect People Read Nonfiction Novels

So in my freshman year at the University of Alabama, learning the literature on evolution, what was known about it biologically, just gradually transformed me by taking me out of literalism and increasingly into a more secular, scientific view of the world. E. O. Wilson

Me Learning World Secular Year Increasingly Evolution Out About More Taking Known Scientific Freshman Freshman Year Gradually Just Literature Transformed View Alabama Biologically University

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