Arguments from authority carry little weight – authorities have made mistakes in the past. They will do so again in the future. Perhaps a better way to say it is that in science there are no authorities; at most, there are experts.

The visions we offer our children shape the future.

All colours are arbitrary.

We are the custodians of life's meaning.

We are a way of the universe knowing itself.

Widespread intellectual and moral docility may be convenient for leaders in the short term, but it is suicidal for nations in the long term. One of the criteria for national leadership should therefore be a talent for understanding, encouraging, and making constructive use of vigorous criticism.

The dumbing down of America is evident in the slow decay of substantive content, a kind of celebration of ignorance.