“We have imagined ourselves a special creation, set apart from other humans. In the last twentieth century, we see that our povertyis as absolute as that of the poorest nations. We have attempted to deny the human condition in our quest for power after power. It would be well for us to rejoin the human race, to accept our essential poverty as a gift, and to share our material wealth with those in need.” NeedsHumansWellsWould BeLastsNationsWealthRaceAcceptingPovertyShareSpecialConditionsCenturyCreationMaterialsEssentialsAbsolutesDenyHuman RaceHuman ConditionQuestsTwentieth CenturyPoorestThose In NeedMaterial Wealth Author:Robert Neelly Bellah
“We have to understand ourselves as a part of the narrative of evolution. And evolution never stops. The notion that human evolution at some point stopped and "history" took over is absurd, though it is widespread among various social scientists and humanists.” HumansSocialEvolutionScientistNotionVariousAbsurdNarrativeHuman Evolution Author:Robert Neelly Bellah
“The central icon of Catholic Christianity is mother and child. That motif is so deep in not just our human experience but in our animal, biological past.” HumansChildrenPastMotherAnimalChristianityCatholicHuman ExperienceIconsMother And ChildMotifs Author:Robert Neelly Bellah
“We're [humans] running great risks of doing things that will not be good for us. The cost can be very high indeed if we reach the point where we can't adapt to our own increasingly rapid adaptations. We run the risk of early extinction. So this certainly isn't a triumphalist story, but it is trying to get at what, in the very long run, leads to the amazing creatures that we are.” IfsTryingHumansLongStoriesRunningRiskCostCreaturesBe GoodLong RunsAdaptationExtinctionRapidsGreat Risk Author:Robert Neelly Bellah
“Human culture, in evolutionary terms, moves from episodic, to mimetic, to mythic, to theoretic - that made all kinds of sense. To some extent, ontogeny repeats phylogeny, because children go through something like the same thing.” HumansKindChildrenMadeMovingCultureTermAll KindsRepeats Author:Robert Neelly Bellah
