“Most of what we strive for in our modern life uses the apparatus of goal seeking that was originally set up to seek goals in the state of nature.”

—  Richard Dawkins

Darwin's Dangerous Disciple: An Interview by Frank Miele (1995)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Most of what we strive for in our modern life uses the apparatus of goal seeking that was originally set up to seek goa…" by Richard Dawkins?
Richard Dawkins photo
Richard Dawkins 322
English ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author 1941

Related quotes

Aristotle photo

“Man is a goal-seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for goals.”

Aristotle (-384–-321 BC) Classical Greek philosopher, student of Plato and founder of Western philosophy

Attributed to Aristotle in Bernhoff A. Dahl, Optimize Your Life! http://books.google.gr/books?id=B1Z2XP_DamQC&dq=, Trionics International Inc., 2005, p. 111.
Disputed

Martin Luther King, Jr. photo

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) American clergyman, activist, and leader in the American Civil Rights Movement
Scott Jurek photo

“We strive toward a goal, and whether we achieve it or not is important, but it's not what's most important. What matters is how we move toward that goal.”

Scott Jurek (1973) American ultramarthon runner

Epilogue, p. 227
Eat and Run (2012)

Francis Escudero photo

“Let us agree on our common goal. As public servants, we serve the highest interests of our people. Primarily, we seek to eliminate poverty and improve the quality of life of every Filipino.”

Francis Escudero (1969) Filipino politician

2009, Speech: The Socio-Economic Peace Program of Senator Francis Escudero

Alec Douglas-Home photo

“Why do we need wealth? Security and peace. This is our goal and we passionately seek it because it is the way of life which we are charged by our religion to practise.”

Alec Douglas-Home (1903–1995) Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Speech to the Lord Mayor's Banquet at Guildhall (11 November 1963), quoted in The Times (12 November 1963), p. 12
Prime Minister

Benjamin Zander photo

“In the measurement world, you set a goal and strive for it. In the universe of possibility, you set the context and let life unfold.”

Benjamin Zander (1939) English conductor

Source: The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life

George W. Bush photo

“Abroad, our nation is committed to an historic, long-term goal — we seek the end of tyranny in our world. Some dismiss that goal as misguided idealism. In reality, the future security of America depends on it.”

George W. Bush (1946) 43rd President of the United States

2000s, 2006, State of the Union (January 2006)

B.K.S. Iyengar photo

“Spirituality is not some external goal that one must seek, but a part of the divine core of each of us, which we must reveal… For the yogi, spirit is not separate from body. Spirituality is not ethereal and outside nature but accessible and palpable in our bodies”

B.K.S. Iyengar (1918–2014) Indian yoga teacher and scholar

Source: Light on Life: The Yoga Journey to Wholeness, Inner Peace, and Ultimate Freedom, p. 18

James Baldwin photo

“We cannot discuss the state of our minorities until we first have a sense of what we are, who we are, what our goals are, and what we take life to be.”

James Baldwin (1924–1987) (1924-1987) writer from the United States
Alfred North Whitehead photo

“The aim of science is to seek the simplest explanations of complex facts. We are apt to fall into the error of thinking that the facts are simple because simplicity is the goal of our quest.”

Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947) English mathematician and philosopher

The Concept of Nature (1919), Chapter VII, p.143 http://www.gutenberg.org/files/18835/18835-h/18835-h.htm#CHAPTER_VII.
1910s
Context: The aim of science is to seek the simplest explanations of complex facts. We are apt to fall into the error of thinking that the facts are simple because simplicity is the goal of our quest. The guiding motto in the life of every natural philosopher should be, "Seek simplicity and distrust it."

Related topics