Religions have a strong binding function and a cohesive element. They emphasize the primacy of the community as opposed to the individual, and they also help set one community apart from another that doesn't share their beliefs.

If you look at national economies today, for example, the American economy, the European economy, the Indians, the Chinese, we're all tied together. If one of them sinks, the rest are going to sink with them and if one floats, the rest are lifted up. I find that very interesting.

The enemy of science is not religion... . The true enemy is the substitution of thought, reflection, and curiosity with dogma.

I think we need to start thinking about grounding our moral systems in our biology.

Future benefits rarely figure in the minds of animals.

Most men probably wouldn't want to live the lives of bonobos. They're constantly clinging to their mothers' apron strings. They lack the ability to make decisions about their own fates, something that we and male chimpanzees practically consider our birthright.

Armies are a purely human invention. Most soldiers who go to war nowadays don't even do it because they're inherently aggressive.