But because we live in an age of science, we have a preoccupation with corroborating our myths.

We are a fluke of nature, a quirk of evolution, a glorious contingency.

I’m a skeptic not because I do not want to believe, but because I want to know.

Darwin matters because evolution matters. Evolution matters because science matters. Science matters because it is the preeminent story of our age, an epic saga about who we are, where we came from and where we are going.

Dualists hold that body and soul are separate entities and that the soul will continue beyond the existence of the physical body.

We want to be open-minded enough to accept radial new ideas when they occasionally come along, but we don't want to be so open-minded that our brains fall out.

The recent medical controversy over whether vaccinations cause autism reveals a habit of human cognition — thinking anecdotally comes naturally, whereas thinking scientifically does not.