Carl Sagan's Summary of the Selfish Gene
In a very real sense human beings are machines constructed by the nucleic acids to arrange for the efficient replication of more nucleic acids. In a sense our strongest urges, noblest enterprises, most compelling necessities, and apparent free wills are all an expression of the information coded in the genetic material: We are, in a way, temporary ambulatory repositories for our nucleic acids. This does not deny our humanity; it does not prevent us from pursuing the good, the true, and the beautiful. But it would be a great mistake to ignore where we have come from in our attempt to determine where we are going.
Notes:
We are machines constructed by nucleic acids to construct more nucleic acids... sounds a lot like Dawkins.
Folksonomies: evolution genes reductionism selfish gene
Taxonomies:
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Entities:
Carl Sagan:Person (0.901987 (neutral:0.000000)), Dawkins:Person (0.688688 (positive:0.208969))
Concepts:
Gene (0.947063): dbpedia | freebase
DNA (0.672836): website | dbpedia | freebase | yago
Richard Dawkins (0.631426): website | dbpedia | freebase | opencyc | yago | musicBrainz
The Selfish Gene (0.609900): dbpedia | freebase | yago
Evolution (0.603452): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Meme (0.578876): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Genetics (0.554439): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
The Extended Phenotype (0.539668): dbpedia | freebase | yago
Carl Sagan's cosmic connection