Quote #155

I now define 'moral behavior' as 'behavior that tends toward survival.' I won't argue with philosophers or theologians who choose to use the word 'moral' to mean something else, but I do not think anyone can define 'behavior that tends toward extinction' as being 'moral' without stretching the word 'moral' all out of shape.

More from Robert A. Heinlein

  1. Patriotism is not sentimental nonsense. Nor something dreamed up by demagogues. Patriotism is as necessary a part of man's evolutionary equ…
  2. Selfishness is the bedrock on which all moral behavior starts and it can be immoral only when it conflicts with a higher moral imperative. …
  3. In this complex world, science, the scientific method, and the consequences of the scientific method are central to everything the human ra…
  4. The next higher level is to work, fight, and sometimes die for your own immediate family. This is the level at which six pounds of mother c…
  5. Your enemy is never a villain in his own eyes. Keep this in mind; it may offer a way to make him your friend. If not, you can kill him with…
  6. Evolution is a process that never stops. Baboons who fail to exhibit moral behavior do not survive; they wind up as meat for leopards.
  7. You live and learn. Or you don't live long.
  8. The next level in moral behavior higher than that exhibited by the baboon is that in which duty and loyalty are shown toward a group of you…

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