Implicit in the activist conception of government is the assumption that you can take the good things in a complex read more

Implicit in the activist conception of government is the assumption that you can take the good things in a complex system for granted, and just improve the things that are not so good. What is lacking in this conception is any sense that a society, an institution, or even a single human being, is an intricate system of fragile inter-relationships, whose complexities are little understood and easily destabilized.

Dogma does not mean the absence of thought, but the end of thought.

Dogma does not mean the absence of thought, but the end of thought.

If we were to ask the brain how it would like to be treated, whether shaken at a random, irregular read more

If we were to ask the brain how it would like to be treated, whether shaken at a random, irregular rate, or in a rhythmic, harmonious fashion, we can be sure that the brain, or for that matter the whole body, would prefer the latter.

Idealism without realism is impotent. Realism without idealism is immoral.

Idealism without realism is impotent. Realism without idealism is immoral.

Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives.

Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives.

It is nobler to convert souls, than to conquer kingdoms.

It is nobler to convert souls, than to conquer kingdoms.

Reason's biological function is to preserve and promote life and to postpone its extinction as long as possible. Thinking and read more

Reason's biological function is to preserve and promote life and to postpone its extinction as long as possible. Thinking and acting are not contrary to nature; they are, rather, the foremost features of man's nature. The most appropriate description of man as differentiated from nonhuman beings is: a being purposively struggling against the forces adverse to his life.

Nothing has an uglier look to us than reason, when it is not on our side.

Nothing has an uglier look to us than reason, when it is not on our side.

Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.

Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.