Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Michael Crichton

Quote by Michael Crichton

“Malcolm’s reply was immediate: “What makes you think human beings are sentient and aware? There’s no evidence for it. Human beings never think for themselves, they find it too uncomfortable. For the most part, members of our species simply repeat what they are told—and become upset if they are exposed to any different view. The characteristic human trait is not awareness but conformity, and the characteristic result is religious warfare. Other animals fight for territory or food; but, uniquely in the animal kingdom, human beings fight for their ‘beliefs.’ The reason is that beliefs guide behavior, which has evolutionary importance among human beings. But at a time when our behavior may well lead us to extinction, I see no reason to assume we have any awareness at all. We are stubborn, self-destructive conformists. Any other view of our species is just a self-congratulatory delusion. Next question.”

Quote by Michael Crichton

Book:The Lost World
Create image

Work

The Lost World

This book is a renowned work of speculative fiction, featuring a group of explorers who discover a hidden world untouched by time, teeming with prehistoric creatures and mysterious phenomena. more

Author

Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton was an American author, screenwriter, and producer, known for his science fiction novels and medical thrillers. His works often explore scientific, technological, and social issues, with novels like 'Jurassic Park' and 'Westworld' being adapted into popular films. more

You May Also Like

“It suggests to us that behavior of complex animals can change very rapidly, and not always for the better. It suggests that behavior can cease to be responsive to the environment, and lead to decline and death. It suggests that animals may stop adapting. Is this what happened to the dinosaurs? Is this the true cause of their disappearance? We may never know. But it is no accident that human beings are so interested in dinosaur extinction. The decline of the dinosaurs allowed mammals—including us—to flourish. And that leads us to wonder whether the disappearance of the dinosaurs is going to be repeated, sooner or later, by us as well. Whether at the deepest level the fault lies not in blind fate—in some fiery meteor from the skies—but in our own behavior. At the moment, we have no answer.”

DeclineBehaviourExtinctionDinosaursJurassic ParkThe Lost WorldIan Malcolm
Book:The Lost World
Create image

“Human beings are so destructive,' Malcolm said. 'I sometimes think we're a kind of plague that will scrub the earth clean. We destroy things so well that I sometimes think, maybe that's our function. Maybe every few eons, some animal comes along that kills off the rest of the world, clears the decks, and let's evolution proceed to its next phase.”

DestructionExtinctionVirusMisanthropyThe Lost WorldMichael CrichtonJurassic Park 2
Book:The Lost World
Create image