The role of inequity in society is grossly underestimated. Inequity is not good for your health, basically.

When we are bad, we are worse than any primate that I know. And when we are good, we are actually better and more altruistic than any primate that I know.

The sturdiest pillars of human morality are compassion and a sense of justice.

The intuitive connection children feel with animals can be a tremendous source of joy. The unconditional love received from pets, and the lack of artifice in the relationship, contrast sharply with the much trickier dealings with members of their own species.

Octopuses have hundreds of suckers, each one equipped with its own ganglion with thousands of neurons. These 'mini-brains' are interconnected, making for a widely distributed nervous system. That is why a severed octopus arm may crawl on its own and even pick up food.

When it comes to social interaction, the chimpanzees appear to be just as intelligent as we are.

Personally, I think it is possible to build a society that is moral on a nonreligious basis, but the jury is still out on that.