He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.

Thomas Paine, “Dissertation on First Principles of Government” (1795)

Heaven is closer now today, the sound is in my ears
I can’t believe the things you say, they echo what I fear
Twisting the bones until they snap, I scream but no one knows
Say I’m familiar, cold to touch and then you turn and go

See how we planned for saddened eyes and tears to pave the way
I fought the fever as I knew, my hair it turned to grey
Study your face and fade the frame, too close for comfort now
We can recall the harmony that lingered but turned sour

You wanted all I had to give
See me, I feel, see me, I live

I would say, without hesitation, if somebody were to ask me what are the most important contributions to human life from psychology, I would identify this work as maybe number one, and certainly in the top two or three. In fact, I would identify the work on reasoning as one of the most important things that we’ve learned about anywhere. I argued at Harvard that when we were trying to identify what should any educated person should know in the entire expanse of knowledge, I argued unsuccessfully that the work on human cognition and probabilistic reason should be up there as one of the first things any educated person should know. I am unqualified in my respect for how important this work is. So whatever difference in emphasis is not on whether these are important profound discoveries, which they are, but where to take them, and how ultimately to explain them.

Steven Pinker, Edge Masterclass 2011

The problem with basing your understanding of the world on the news is that news is just anecdotes; it’s about stuff that happens; it’s not about stuff that doesn’t happen, and it’s statistically illiterate.

Steven Pinker in conversation with Michael Shermer, 4 October 2014

Often differences between men and women are cited – including in many publications such as the journal Science – where it’s just attributed automatically to differences in socialisation, cultural expectations, hidden barriers – prejudice an so on – which may all be true; but even the logical possibility that there could be innate differences between men and women is often just unmentionable, just unmentioned, so not even put out there as an empirical hypothesis; tested – perhaps refuted – but taboo.

Steven Pinker in conversation with Michael Shermer, 4 October 2014

Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions.

Albert Einstein, 1879-1955

The levelling of the playing field for vulnerable people – including children – is ours to do, not theirs.

Maggie Atkinson, Children’s Commissioner for England
commenting on the Rotherham report on R4 World at One, 27 August 2014

The first principle is that you must not fool yourself–and you are the easiest person to fool.

Cargo Cult Science, 1974
Richard Feynman

In the last 200 years the population of our planet has grown exponentially, at a rate of 1.9 per cent per year. If it continued at this rate, with the population doubling every 40 years, by 2600 we would all be standing literally shoulder to shoulder.

Stephen Hawking, Physicist