“It must be a very dour and pessimistic astronomer indeed who seriously doubts that there must be countless numbers of intelligent civilizations scattered throughout the universe on other planets which are orbiting around other stars. An attitude which asserts that man is the only intelligent life form in the universe is intolerably arrogant today ... anyone who holds such an opinion today is, fortunately for those who like to see some progress in human conceptions, something of an intellectual freak equivalent to a believer in the Flat Earth Theory.” MenHumansTodayEarthFormUniverseStarsNumbersAttitudeOpinionDoubtProgressPlanetsTheoryCivilizationIntellectualIntelligentBelieverFlatsConceptionFreakArrogantPessimisticAstronomersIntelligent Life Author:Robert K. G. Temple
“There is a possibility in human minds of something mysterious as the night-wind, deep as the sea, calm as the stars, and strong as Death, a mystic contemplation, the “intellectual love of God.” Those who have known it cannot believe in wars any longer, or in any kind of hot struggle. If I could give to others what has come to me in this way, I could make them too feel the futility of fighting. But I do not know how to communicate it: when I speak, they stare, applaud, or smile, but do not understand.” IfsKnowsWayGivingFeelsMindBelieveHumansKindWarNightFightingSpeakStrongStarsKnownKnow HowStruggleSeaPossibilityWindIntellectualHotCalmCommunicateMysteriousGod LoveStaringContemplationIf I CouldHuman MindMysticFutility Book:The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell Source: The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell
“Indeed, our everyday world presents intellectual challenges just as daunting as those of the cosmos and the quantum, and that is where 99 per cent of scientists focus their efforts. Even the smallest insect, with its intricate structure, is far more complex than either an atom or a star.” WorldStarsChallengesEffortFocusIntellectualScientistStructureComplexesEverydayCosmosAtomsCentsQuantumSmallestInsectsIntricate Author:Martin Rees