In the end ... success or failure will come down to an ethical decision, one on which those now living will be judged for generations to come.

Political ideology can corrupt the mind, and science.

The second half of the 20th century was a golden age of molecular biology, and it was one of the golden ages of the history of science. Molecular biology was so successful and made such a powerful alliance with the medical scientists that the two together just flourished. And they continue to flourish.

Blind faith, no matter how passionately expressed, will not suffice. Science for its part will test relentlessly every assumption about the human condition.

Human beings function better if they are deceived by their genes into thinking that there is a disinterested objective morality binding upon them, which all should obey.

Old beliefs die hard even when demonstrably false.

It's always been a dream of mine, of exploring the living world, of classifying all the species and finding out what makes up the biosphere.