“Blake expressed some doubt as to whether God had made the tiger. But the tiger is in many ways an admirable animal. We have now to ask whether God made the tapeworm. And it is questionable whether an affirmative answer fits in either with what we know about the process of evolution or what many of us believe about the moral perfection of God.” IfsKnowsWayBelieveMadeAsksProcessAnswersAnimalMoralDoubtEvolutionFitPerfectionTigersAdmirableAffirmativeQuestionableBlakeMoral Perfection Author:John B. S. Haldane
“It seems to me immensely unlikely that mind is a mere by-product of matter. For if my mental processes are determined wholly by the motions of atoms in my brain I have no reason to suppose that my beliefs are true. They may be sound chemically, but that does not make them sound logically. And hence I have no reason for supposing my brain to be composed of atoms.” IfsMindMayDoeMatterReasonSeemsBeliefProcessSoundBrainProductsMereDeterminedNo ReasonAtomsUnlikelySupposingSupposing That Author:John B. S. Haldane
“If materialism is true, it seems to me that we cannot know that it is true. If my opinions are the result of the chemical processes going on in my brain, they are determined by the laws of chemistry, not those of logic.” IfsKnowsSeemsLawScienceProcessResultsBrainOpinionLogicDeterminedMaterialismChemistryChemicals Author:John B. S. Haldane
“I suppose the process of acceptance will pass through the usual four stages: (i) this is worthless nonsense; (ii) this is an interesting, but perverse, point of view; (iii) this is true, but quite unimportant; (iv) I always said so.” SaidProcessInterestingViewsFourStageAcceptancePoint Of ViewNonsenseUsualSkepticismWorthlessSkepticUnimportant Author:John B. S. Haldane
