“Is there evil but on earth? Or pain in every peopled sphere? Well, be grateful for the sounding watchword "Evolution" here.” PeopleWellsEarthPainEvilEvolutionGratefulSpheresBe Grateful Author:Alfred Lord Tennyson
“Out of the dusk a shadow, Then a spark; Out of the cloud a silence, Then a lark; Out of the heart a rapture, Then a pain; Out of the dead, cold ashes, Life again.” HeartPainSilenceColdEvolutionShadowCloudsSparksAshesRaptureDuskLarks Book:Poems by John B Tabb Source: Poems by John B Tabb
“There are some women who seem to be born without fear, just as there are people who are born without the ability to feel pain. The painless ones go around putting their hands on hot stoves, freezing their feet to the point of gangrene, scalding the lining of their throats with boiling coffee, because there is no warning anguish. Evolution does not favour them. So too perhaps with the fearless women, because there aren't very many of them around. ... Providence appears to protect such women, maybe out of astonishment.” PeopleFeelsDoeHandsSeemsPainFearBornAbilityFeetEvolutionProtectHotCoffeeFearlessThroatWarningProvidenceAnguishFavourAstonishmentFreezingBoilingStovesPainless Book:Bluebeard's Egg Source: Bluebeard's Egg
“When you deal with something like compassion for physical pain, which we know is very, very old in evolution - we can find evidence for it in nonhuman species - the brain processes it at a faster speed. Compassion for mental pain took many seconds longer.” KnowsPainProcessDealsBrainCompassionEvolutionEvidenceSpeciesSpeedFasterSecondsPhysical PainMental Pain Author:Antonio Damasio
“We no longer see the evolution of the nervous system, but that of a certain individual. The role of the memory is very important but... not as important as we believe. Most of the important things that we do don't depend on memory. To hear, to see, to touch, to feel happiness and pain; these are functions which are independent of memory; it is an a priori thing. Thus, for me, what memory does is to modify that a priori thing, and this it does in a very profound way.” WayFeelsBelieveDoeImportantPainCertainIndividualMemoriesRolesDependsEvolutionFunctionIndependentImportant ThingsProfoundNervousNervous System Author:Rodolfo Llinas
“Pain is the basic mechanism built into us by millions of years of evolution which safeguards us by warning when something threatens our survival.” YearsPainMillionsEvolutionSurvivalBuiltWarningMechanism Book:Starship Troopers Source: Starship Troopers