Edward O. Wilson

people believe know

“People would rather believe than know.”

― Edward O. Wilson (1929-2021)

burn rainforest economic gain renaissance painting cook meal

“Destroying rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal.”

― Edward O. Wilson (1929-2021)

drown information starv wisdom synthesizer

“We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at the right time, think critically about it, and make important choices wisely.”

― Edward O. Wilson (1929-2021)

karl marx socialism species

“Karl Marx was right, socialism works, it is just that he had the wrong species”

― Edward O. Wilson (1929-2021)

humanity walking dreamer star wars stone age medieval godlike

“Humanity today is like a waking dreamer, caught between the fantasies of sleep and the chaos of the real world. The mind seeks but cannot find the precise place and hour. We have created a Star Wars civilization, with Stone Age emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology. We thrash about. We are terribly confused by the mere fact of our existence, and a danger to ourselves and to the rest of life.”

― Edward O. Wilson (1929-2021)

adult depth languor daydream aimless wandering

“Adults forget the depths of languor into which the adolescent mind decends with ease. They are prone to undervalue the mental growth that occurs during daydreaming and aimless wandering”

― Edward O. Wilson (1929-2021)

mankind disappear world regenerate insects vanish chaos

“If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.”

― Edward O. Wilson (1929-2021)

success failure ethical decision judge generations

“In the end ... success or failure will come down to an ethical decision, one on which those now living will be judged for generations to come.”

― Edward O. Wilson (1929-2021)

Star Wars civilization Stone age emotion medieval insyit

“We have created a Star Wars civilization, with Stone Age emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology.”

― Edward O. Wilson (1929-2021)

scientist poet bookkeeper

“The most successful scientist thinks like a poet—wide-ranging, sometimes fantastical—and works like a bookkeeper. It is the latter role that the world sees.”

― Edward O. Wilson (1929-2021)

difference people ants war young men old lady

“Here indeed is a major difference between people and ants: where we send our young men to war, ants send their old ladies. No moral lesson there, unless you are looking for a less expensive form of elder care.”

― Edward O. Wilson (1929-2021)

group individual selfish altruistic beat

"In a group, selfish individuals beat altruistic individuals. But, groups of altruistic individuals beat groups of selfish individuals."

― Edward O. Wilson (1929-2021)

worst best coexist human

"The worst in our nature coexists with the best, and so it will ever be. To scrub it out if such were possible, would make us less than human."

― Edward O. Wilson (1929-2021)