Quote #20

My admiration for Darwin's magnificent idea is unbounded, but I, too, cherish many of the ideas and ideals that it seems to challenge, and want to protect them. ... The only good way to do this - the only way that has a chance in the long run - is to cut through the smokescreens and look at the idea as unflinchingly, and dispassionately, as possible.

More from Daniel C. Dennett

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  6. Much of the controversy and anxiety that has enveloped Darwin's idea ... can be understood as a series of failed campaigns to contain Darwi…
  7. I have grown accustomed to the disrespect expressed by some of the participants for their colleagues in the other disciplines. 'Why, Dan,' …
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