His response was to fight it with the only weapons at hand—passive resistance and open displays of contempt.

So, in the interests of survival, they trained themselves to be agreeing machines instead of thinking machines. All their minds had to do was to discover what other people were thinking, and then they thought that, too.

Incidentally, I am honorary president of the American Humanist Association, having succeeded the great science fiction writer and biochemist Dr. Isaac Asimov. John Updike, who is religious, says I talk more about God than any seminarian. Socialism is, in fact, a form of Christianity, people wishing to imitate Christ.

Ideas on earth were badges of friendship or enimity. Their content did not matter. Friends agreed with friends, in order to express friendliness. Enemies disagreed with enemies, in order to express enimity.

The champagne was dead. So it goes.

Well, it's practically over, thank God - I'm 83, there won't be that much more of it to put up with I don't think!

I was taught that the human brain was the crowning glory of evolution so far, but I think it's a very poor scheme for survival.