Michael Shermer Quotes

Michael Shermer
Michael Shermer
Writer
Born: Sep 8, 1954
Because Life Natural Science Thinking You
Related authors: Ayn Rand Dr. Seuss H. L. Mencken Napoleon Hill Niccolo Machiavelli Thomas Mann Thomas Paine Voltaire
Myths are stories that express meaning, morality or motivation. Whether they are true or not is irrelevant. Michael Shermer
Morality Myths True Motivation Irrelevant Stories Whether Meaning Express
I say you don't need religion, or political ideology, to understand human nature. Science reveals that human nature is greedy and selfish, altruistic and helpful. Michael Shermer
Nature Religion You Selfish Science Political Ideology Greedy Human Nature Say Understand Altruistic Reveals Political Ideology Human Helpful Need
Anecdotal thinking comes naturally; science requires training. Michael Shermer
Science Training Thinking Anecdotal Requires Naturally
We should be exploring consciousness at the neural level and higher, where the arrow of causal analysis points up toward such principles as emergence and self-organization. Michael Shermer
Analysis Emergence Neural Higher Points Toward Principles Causal Arrow Up Where Should Exploring Level Consciousness
Mammals are sentient beings that want to live and are afraid to die. Evolution vouchsafed us all with an instinct to survive, reproduce and flourish. Michael Shermer
Live Evolution Instinct Mammals Survive Die Afraid Want Reproduce To Survive Sentient Us Beings Flourish
We know evolution happened because innumerable bits of data from myriad fields of science conjoin to paint a rich portrait of life's pilgrimage. Michael Shermer
Life Science Rich Bits Evolution Data Myriad Know Because Pilgrimage Happened Fields Paint Portrait
Science operates in the natural, not the supernatural. In fact, I go so far as to state that there is no such thing as the supernatural or the paranormal. Michael Shermer
Science Natural State Paranormal Supernatural Fact Go In Fact Far Thing
The case for exploiting animals for food, clothing and entertainment often relies on our superior intelligence, language and self-awareness: the rights of the superior being trump those of the inferior. Michael Shermer
Food Entertainment Rights Intelligence Language Superior Animals Our Those Case Self-Awareness Trump Inferior Often Being Clothing Exploiting
As a social primate species, we modulate our morals with signals from family, friends and social groups with whom we identify because in our evolutionary past, those attributes helped individuals to survive and reproduce. Michael Shermer
Family Past Our Those Signals Evolutionary Morals Individuals Identify Attributes Because Friends Survive Reproduce Social To Survive Helped Groups Whom Species
No single discovery from any of these fields denotes proof of evolution, but together they reveal that life evolved in a certain sequence by a particular process. Michael Shermer
Life Together Single Evolution Evolved Proof Particular Reveal Discovery Any Process Fields Certain Sequence
The reason is that in a group, individual errors on either side of the true figure cancel each other out. Michael Shermer
Group Other Side Out Individual True Errors Cancel Either Figure Reason Each
In comparison, Google is brilliant because it uses an algorithm that ranks Web pages by the number of links to them, with those links themselves valued by the number of links to their page of origin. Michael Shermer
Brilliant Google Algorithm Those Ranks Valued Web Because Links Them Themselves Page Pages Uses Origin Comparison Number
But because we live in an age of science, we have a preoccupation with corroborating our myths. Michael Shermer
Science Age Live Our Myths Because Preoccupation
The actual atoms and molecules that make up my brain and body today are not the same ones that I was born with on September 8, 1954, a half-century ago this month. Michael Shermer
Today Atoms September Month Born Make Make Up Brain Up Same Body Molecules Actual
Either the soul survives death or it does not, and there is no scientific evidence that it does. Michael Shermer
Death Soul Evidence Scientific Scientific Evidence Does Survives Either
Through no divine design or cosmic plan, we have inherited the mantle of life's caretaker on the earth, the only home we have ever known. Michael Shermer
Life Home Design Earth Cosmic Only Through Divine Known Plan Mantle Inherited Ever
Religious faith depends on a host of social, psychological and emotional factors that have little or nothing to do with probabilities, evidence and logic. Michael Shermer
Faith Nothing Evidence Logic Religious Religious Faith Factors Emotional Host Probabilities Depends Psychological Little Social
But the power of science lies in open publication, which, with the rise of the Internet, is no longer constrained by the price of paper. Michael Shermer
Science Internet Power Paper Lies Rise Constrained Price Open Longer Which Publication
Science is not a thing. It's a verb. It's a way of thinking about things. It's a way of looking for natural explanations for all phenomena. Michael Shermer
Science Natural Looking Thinking Way About Verb Explanations Thing Things Phenomena
Being a skeptic just means being rational and empirical: thinking and seeing before believing. Michael Shermer
Before Thinking Seeing Rational Empirical Just Being Skeptic Means Believing
Skeptics question the validity of a particular claim by calling for evidence to prove or disprove it. Michael Shermer
Validity Evidence Claim Particular Calling Prove Question Disprove
Mysteries once thought to be supernatural or paranormal happenings - such as astronomical or meteorological events - are incorporated into science once their causes are understood. Michael Shermer
Science Events Thought Mysteries Once Astronomical Paranormal Supernatural Understood Causes Happenings Incorporated
When religious believers invoke miracles and acts of creation ex nihilo, that is the end of the search for them, whereas for scientists, the identification of such mysteries is only the beginning. Science picks up where theology leaves off. Michael Shermer
Science Miracles Mysteries Beginning Creation Religious Only Picks Invoke Identification Leaves Scientists Off End Up Where Whereas Them Theology Search Acts Believers
In the long run, it is better to understand the way the world really is rather than how we would like it to be. Michael Shermer
World Better Long Way Run Would Rather Long Run Like Understand How Than Really
We do not just blindly concede control to authorities; instead we follow the cues provided by our moral communities on how best to behave. Michael Shermer
Best Blindly Control Our Moral Follow Instead Concede How Provided Authorities Behave Just Communities
Providentially, learned habits can be unlearned, especially in the context of moral groups. Michael Shermer
Moral Habits Learned Context Groups
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