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Robert Wright

Robert Wright Quotes

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Famous Robert Wright Quotes

“If two people stare at each other for more than a few seconds, it means they are about to either make love or fight. Something similar might be said about human societies. If two nearby societies are in contact for any length of time, they will either trade or fight. The first is non-zero-sum social integration, and the second ultimately brings it.”

PeopleIfsFirstsHumansMeanSaidTwoMightFightingSocialTradeContactStaringLengthZeroSecondsMaking LoveIntegrationHuman Society
Author:Robert Wright
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“Whereas modern cynicism brought despair about the ability of the human species to realize laudable ideals, postmodern cynicism doesn't — not because it's optimistic, but because it can't take ideals seriously in the first place. The prevailing attitude is Absurdism. A postmodern magazine may be irreverent, but not bitterly irreverent, for it's not purposefully irreverent; its aim is indiscriminate, because everyone is equally ridiculous. And anyway, there's no moral basis for passing judgment. Just sit back and enjoy the show.”

FirstsHumansMayShowsEnjoyRealizingAbilityAttitudeMoralModernDespairJudgmentIdealsBasesAimSpeciesRidiculousPassingPassingsOptimisticMagazinesCynicismPrevailingHuman SpeciesPostmodernIrreverentPassing Judgment
Author:Robert Wright
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“Understanding the often unconscious nature of genetic control is the first step toward understanding that—in many realms, not just sex—we’re all puppets, and our best hope for even partial liberation is to try to decipher the logic of the puppeteer.”

TryingFirstsSexUnderstandingStepsLogicLiberationRealmsUnconsciousFirst StepsPuppetsHoping For The BestDecipherPuppeteer
Book:The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology
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