Ahead of me lies the familiar litany: weakening of the heart, hardening of the arteries, increasing brittleness of bones, decreases in kidney filtration rates, lower resistance of the immune system, and loss of memory. The list could be extended almost indefinitely. Evolution seems indeed to have arranged things so that all our systems deteriorate, and that we invest in repair only as much as we are worth.
Jared DiamondIn the latter case it is often government that organizes the conquest, and religion that justifies it.
Jared DiamondOur biggest threat is not an asteroid about to crash into us, something we can do nothing about. Instead, all the major threats facing us today are problems entirely of our own making. And since we made the problems, we can also solve the problems.
Jared DiamondRecent discoveries about apes suggest, however, that a gorilla or common chimp stands at least as good a chance being murdered as the average human.
Jared Diamond