Mary Midgley (1919–2018) British philosopher and ethicist
Beast and Man: The Roots of Human Nature (1979). 148.
(zh-TW) 十月懷胎孕育身,悉心養護遂成人。
微低動物猶爭度,奮力求生勿化塵。
"Cherish life" (愛惜生命)
Source: Deng Feng-Zhou, "Deng Feng-Zhou Classical Chinese Poetry Anthology". Volume 6, Tainan, 2018: 85.
Mary Midgley (1919–2018) British philosopher and ethicist
Beast and Man: The Roots of Human Nature (1979). 148.
“An obsessive creature, constantly dominated by one kind of motive, would not survive.”
Mary Midgley (1919–2018) British philosopher and ethicist
Beast and Man: The Roots of Human Nature (1979). 168.
Context: Creatures really have divergent and conflicting desires. Their distinct motives are not (usually) wishes for survival or for means-to-survival, but for various particular things to be done and obtained while surviving. And these can always conflict. Motivation is fundamentally plural. It must be so because, in evolution, all sorts of contingincies and needs arise, calling for all sorts of different responses. An obsessive creature, constantly dominated by one kind of motive, would not survive.
Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America
Hampton University, June 2007 <br class="br">referring to Jessica Evers http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/04/26/11408854-unborn-baby-shot-in-los-angeles-riots-im-still-here?lite, born with a bullet in her arm on during the Los Angeles riots <br class="br">2007
Mary Midgley (1919–2018) British philosopher and ethicist
Beast and Man: The Roots of Human Nature (1979). 168.
Context: Creatures really have divergent and conflicting desires. Their distinct motives are not (usually) wishes for survival or for means-to-survival, but for various particular things to be done and obtained while surviving. And these can always conflict. Motivation is fundamentally plural. It must be so because, in evolution, all sorts of contingincies and needs arise, calling for all sorts of different responses. An obsessive creature, constantly dominated by one kind of motive, would not survive.
Lily Tomlin (1939) American actress, comedian, writer, and producer
As "Trudy"
Contributions of Jane Wagner, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1985)
John Muir book A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf
From the same material he has made every other creature, however noxious and insignificant to us. They are earth-born companions and our fellow mortals. … This star, our own good earth, made many a successful journey around the heavens ere man was made, and whole kingdoms of creatures enjoyed existence and returned to dust ere man appeared to claim them. After human beings have also played their part in Creation's plan, they too may disappear without any general burning or extraordinary commotion whatever.
Source: A Thousand-Mile Walk To the Gulf, 1916, chapter 6: Cedar Keys, pages 160-161
John Muir (1838–1914) Scottish-born American naturalist and author
Source: A Thousand-Mile Walk To the Gulf, 1916, chapter 6: Cedar Keys, pages 160-161
Brian McNaughton (1935–2004) US author
"An Interview with World Fantasy Award Finalist Brian Mcnaughton" by Jeff VanderMeer, in The Ministry of Whimsy (1998) http://www.epberglund.com/RGttCM/nightscapes/NS11/ns11nf1.htm <br class="br">Context: I believe that we are soft creatures in a world with some very hard edges. It's remarkable that we survive at all, much less do high deeds or write great music. I think … tension … is a condition of our existence, and I do my best to depict it.