Daniel Dennett
Daniel Dennett
Daniel Clement Dennett III is an American philosopher, writer, and cognitive scientist whose research centers on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science...
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth28 March 1942
support zombie intellectual
Are zombies possible? They're not just possible, they're actual. We're all zombies. Nobody is conscious — not in the systematically mysterious way that supports such doctrines as epiphenomenalism. *It would be an act of desperate intellectual dishonesty to quote this assertion out of context!
confused lasts tongue
Human consciousness is just about the last surviving mystery... a topic that often leaves even the most sophisticated thinkers tongue-tied and confused. And, as with all of the earlier mysteries, there are many who insist - and hope - that there will never be a demystification of consciousness.
atheist atheism firsts
You don't get to advertise all the good that your religion does without first scrupulously subtracting all the harm it does and considering seriously the question of whether some other religion, or no religion at all, does better.
way polite folly
There is no polite way to suggest to someone that they have devoted their life to a folly.
religion atheism force
There are no forces on this planet more dangerous to all of us than the fanaticisms of fundamentalism.
cells care knows
Not a single one of the cells that compose you knows who you are, or cares.
believe religion reason
There are no good reasons to believe in god.
motivation inspiration secret
The secret of happiness is: Find something more important than you are and dedicate your life to it.
mistake chiefs tricks
The chief trick to making good mistakes is not to hide them-especially not from yourself.
changes designer great laws natural perhaps role selection
After Darwin, God's role changes from being the designer of all creatures, great and small, to being the designer of the laws of nature, from which natural selection can unfold, to being just perhaps the chooser of the laws.
hurt winning opportunity
It's a no win situation. It's a mug's game. The religions have contrived to make it impossible to disagree with them critically without being rude. They play the hurt feelings card at every opportunity.
law cost economics
Cost is always an object - the second law of thermodynamics sees to that