“We are fields endowed with consciousness and free will, existing in a reality deeper than the familiar realm of space, time, and interacting objects—precisely the view scientism asserts: that we are merely bodies, properties of physical matter. But scientism is mistaken. Consciousness exists independently of any physical form; it resides in the underlying field that instantiates the matter and energy we measure in space and time.”— Federico Faggin
The quote archive
A growing archive of 3,000+ moments, drawn from every interview.
Our current scientific paradigm was designed by Galileo to exclude consciousness. This goes back to the 17th century, 1623 – Galileo declared that from that point onwards, mathematics was going to be the language of science.
— Philip GoffPhilosopher specializing in consciousness and panpsychism
We seem to be in a strange period of history where our official world view, our official picture of the universe denies the reality of the thing that's most evident and the thing that gives life value. I think people do feel this at an intuitive level, and it can lead to a deep sense of alienation.
— Philip GoffPhilosopher specializing in consciousness and panpsychism
Consciousness is the most troubling because it's so hard to deny its existence. With all these other tricky, troubling phenomena, it's at least an option to say maybe it doesn't exist, maybe we're not really free in the way we think we are. But with consciousness, it's seems hard to make sense of the idea that nobody's ever felt pain.
— Philip GoffPhilosopher specializing in consciousness and panpsychism
If a company doesn't have a purpose, I think they are wasting their life. Making money should be the result of helping people to build businesses.
— Daniel LamarrePresident and CEO of Cirque du Soleil
Sometimes it doesn't matter if the other side doesn't care about fairness; provided you do, you explain what's going on. Now it's arbitrary versus arbitrary versus principle versus arbitrary.
— Barry NalebuffCo-Author of "Co-opetition" & Yale School of Management Professor
As Carl von Clausewitz said, 'no plan survives first contact with the enemy.' It's not about having a plan, it's about planning. When you are in a fluid situation, things change, and you have to adapt quickly. You cannot freeze into inaction.
— Pepyn DinandtI don't think we can love God more than our greatest good. I think He is our greatest good. I don't think we can desire Him more than happiness. I think that ultimately, He is our happiness.
— J. BudziszewskiProfessor of Government and Philosophy at University of Texas at Austin
Ultimately, there are no values in the secular world that can replace the complete happiness people find in the vision of the face of God.
— J. BudziszewskiProfessor of Government and Philosophy at University of Texas at Austin
If I practice friendship for the sake of my friend, I will have pleasure in it. If I practice friendship for the sake of pleasure, in the long run I'll have neither pleasure nor friendship.
— J. BudziszewskiProfessor of Government and Philosophy at University of Texas at Austin
People do confuse pleasure for happiness, but as Mortimer J. Adler put it, there is a big difference between a having a good time and having a good life. Pleasure is best understood not as the very good itself, but as a by-product of pursuing the things that really are good.
— J. BudziszewskiProfessor of Government and Philosophy at University of Texas at Austin
To be completely happy is the same as to be fulfilled, to flourish, or to thrive – to enjoy complete well-being, to have our complete and final good. We seek happiness for its own sake, not to get something else. This is our goal and deepest longing.
— J. BudziszewskiProfessor of Government and Philosophy at University of Texas at Austin
I feel it's such a wonderful thing to be able to leave the tyranny of gravity to leave the ground and fly wherever you will.
— Richard DawkinsEvolutionary Biologist & Author of "The Selfish Gene
The question to be asked is why doesn't everybody fly?
— Richard DawkinsEvolutionary Biologist & Author of "The Selfish Gene
We are living longer and measuring GDP growth is not the way to decide whether a society or an economy are flourishing.
— Jennifer SciubbaThere is a lot of misunderstanding about demography and one of the biggest misunderstandings is that it's destiny. If it's destiny, it is not that interesting to study, but it's not destiny.
— Jennifer SciubbaConditional on the emergence of the human brain, civilisation was inevitable for many reasons. We had a commendable population in Africa 300,000 years ago and given the fact that these individuals were equipped with the power of the modern brain, the emergence of civilisation was inevitable.
— Oded GalorEconomist known for unified growth theory explaining long-term economic development