Stephen Jay Gould :
The true beauty of nature is her amplitude she exists neither for nor because of us, and possesses a staying power that all our nuclear arsenals cannot threaten (much as we can easily destroy our puny selves).
#
Will and Will Power
#
Beauty
#
Nature
Gift it
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=52815&author=Stephen Jay Gould"e=The+true+beauty+of+nature+is+her+amplitude+she+exists+neither+for+nor+because+of+us%2C+and+possesses+a+staying+power+that+all+our+nuclear+arsenals+cannot+threaten+%28much+as+we+can+easily+destroy+our+puny+selves%29.&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2FauthorIcons%2F9242%2FStephen+Jay_Gould_64x64.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=20266&author=Henry Van Dyke"e=++Who+can+explain+the+secret+pathos+of+Nature%27s+loveliness%3F+It+is+a+touch+of+melancholy+inherited+from+our+mother+Eve.+It+is+an+unconscious+memory+of+the+lost+Paradise.+It+is+the+sense+that+even+if+we+should+find+another+Eden%2C+we+would+not+be+fit+to+enjoy+it+perfectly+nor+stay+in+it+forever.&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2FauthorIcons%2F1992%2FHenry+Van_Dyke_64x64.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=65614&author=Eric Hoffer"e=You+dehumanize+a+man+as+much+by+returning+him+to+nature+-+by+making+him+one+with+rocks%2C+vegetation%2C+and+animals+-+as+by+turning+him+into+a+machine.+Both+the+natural+and+the+mechanical+are+the+opposite+of+that+which+is+uniquely+human.+Nature+is+a+self-made+machine%2C+more+perfectly+automated+than+any+automated+machine.+To+create+something+in+the+image+of+nature+is+to+create+a+machine%2C+and+it+was+by+learning+the+inner+working+of+nature+that+man+became+a+builder+of+machines.+It+is+also+obvious+that+when+man+domesticated+animals+and+plants+he+acquired+self-made+machines+for+the+production+of+food%2C+power%2C+and+beauty.&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2FauthorIcons%2F12744%2FEric++Hoffer_64x64.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=20283&author=Anne Frank"e=++The+best+remedy+for+those+who+are+afraid%2C+lonely+or+unhappy+is+to+go+outside%2C+somewhere+where+they+can+be+quiet%2C+alone+with+the+heavens%2C+nature+and+God.+Because+only+then+does+one+feel+that+all+is+as+it+should+be+and+that+God+wishes+to+see+people+happy%2C+amidst+the+simple+beauty+of+nature.+As+long+as+this+exists%2C+and+it+certainly+always+will%2C+I+know+that+then+there+will+always+be+comfort+for+every+sorrow%2C+whatever+the+circumstances+may+be.+And+I+firmly+believe+that+nature+brings+solace+in+all+troubles.&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2FauthorIcons%2F747%2FAnne+Frank_64x64.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=74973&author=John Cheever"e=What+I+am+going+to+write+is+the+last+of+what+I+have+to+say.+I+will+say+that+literature+is+the+only+consciousness+we+possess+and+that+its+role+as+consciousness+must+inform+us+of+our+ability+to+comprehend+the+hideous+danger+of+nuclear+power.%0A&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2FauthorIcons%2F1965%2FJohn_Cheever_64x64.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=105321&author=Vladimir Putin"e=Russia+does+not+have+in+its+possession+any+trustworthy+data+that+supports+the+existence+of+nuclear+weapons+or+any+weapons+of+mass+destruction+in+Iraq+and+we+have+not+received+any+such+information+from+our+partners+as+yet.%0A&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2FauthorIcons%2F14878%2FVladimir+Putin_64x64.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=110225&author=George Soros"e=A+global+society+does+not+mean+a+global+state.+To+abolish+the+existence+of+states+is+neither+feasible+nor+desirable%3B+but+insofar+as+there+are+collective+interests+that+transcend+state+boundaries%2C+the+sovereignty+of+states+must+be+subordinated+to+international+law+and+international+institutions.&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2FauthorIcons%2F4714%2FGeorge_Soros_64x64.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=80692&author=Jose Maria Eca de Queiroz"e=In+the+meantime+England+enjoys+the+prestige+of+%22the+great+victory+of+Afghanistan%22+for+a+short+while+%96+certain+of+having+to+begin+it+once+more+in+ten+or+fifteen+years%2C+because+they+can+neither+conquer+and+annex+a+vast+kingdom%2C+as+large+as+France%2C+nor+allow+the+existence+of+a+few+million+hostile+fanatics+at+their+side.+Their+policy%2C+therefore%2C+is+to+weaken+them+periodically+with+a+devastating+invasion%3A+such+violence+is+required+of+a+great+Empire.+%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2Fimages_web%2Fauthor_no_icon.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=31420&author=Sir Walter Raleigh"e=++Remember+if+you+marry+for+beauty%2C+thou+bindest+thyself+all+thy+life+for+that+which+perchance%2C+will+neither+last+nor+please+thee+one+year%3A+and+when+thou+hast+it%2C+it+will+be+to+thee+of+no+price+at+all.&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2FauthorIcons%2F14%2FSir+Walter_Raleigh_64x64.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=31410&author=Plotinus"e=++Being+is+desirable+because+it+is+identical+with+Beauty%2C+and+Beauty+is+loved+because+it+is+Being.+We+ourselves+possess+Beauty+when+we+are+true+to+our+own+being%3B+ugliness+is+in+going+over+to+another+order%3B+knowing+ourselves%2C+we+are+beautiful%3B+in+self-ignorance%2C+we+are+ugly.&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2Fimages_web%2Fauthor_no_icon.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=54672&author=Sir Walter Scott"e=Remember%2C+that+if+thou+marry+for+beauty%2C+thou+bindest+thyself+all+thy+life+for+that+which+perchance+will+neither+last+nor+please+thee+one+year+and+when+thou+hast+it%2C+it+will+be+to+thee+of+no+price+at+all+for+the+desire+dieth+when+it+is+attained%2C+and+the+affection+perisheth+when+it+is+satisfied.&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2FauthorIcons%2F8082%2FSir+Walter+Scott_64x64.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=56632&author=Stephen Jay Gould"e=I+can+hire+one+half+of+the+working+class+to+kill+the+other+half.&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2FauthorIcons%2F9242%2FStephen+Jay_Gould_64x64.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=52816&author=Stephen Jay Gould"e=The+most+erroneous+stories+are+those+we+think+we+know+best+-+and+therefore+never+scrutinize+or+question.&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2FauthorIcons%2F9242%2FStephen+Jay_Gould_64x64.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=85260&author=Stephen Jay Gould"e=Theories+rarely+arise+as+patient+inferences+forced+by+accumulated+facts.+Theories+are+mental+constructs+potentiated+by+complex+external+prods+%28including%2C+in+idealized+cases%2C+a+commanding+push+from+empirical+reality%29.+But+the+prods+often+include+dreams%2C+quirks%2C+and+errors%E2%80%94just+as+we+may+obtain+crucial+bursts+of+energy+from+foodstuffs+or+pharmaceuticals+of+no+objective+or+enduring+value.+Great+truth+can+emerge+from+small+error.+Evolution+is+thrilling%2C+liberating%2C+and+correct.+And+Macrauchenia+is+a+litoptern.%0A&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2FauthorIcons%2F9242%2FStephen+Jay_Gould_64x64.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=85124&author=Stephen Jay Gould"e=Debate+is+an+art+form.+It+is+about+the+winning+of+arguments.+It+is+not+about+the+discovery+of+truth.+There+are+certain+rules+and+procedures+to+debate+that+really+have+nothing+to+do+with+establishing+fact%E2%80%94which+creationists+have+mastered.+Some+of+those+rules+are%3A+never+say+anything+positive+about+your+own+position+because+it+can+be+attacked%2C+but+chip+away+at+what+appear+to+be+the+weaknesses+in+your+opponent%27s+position.+They+are+good+at+that.+I+don%27t+think+I+could+beat+the+creationists+at+debate.+I+can+tie+them.+But+in+courtrooms+they+are+terrible%2C+because+in+courtrooms+you+cannot+give+speeches.+In+a+courtroom+you+have+to+answer+direct+questions+about+the+positive+status+of+your+belief.+We+destroyed+them+in+Arkansas.+On+the+second+day+of+the+two-week+trial+we+had+our+victory+party%21%0A&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2FauthorIcons%2F9242%2FStephen+Jay_Gould_64x64.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=85291&author=Stephen Jay Gould"e=In+what+other+world+is+myth+so+harmless%3F+Great+battles+kill+and+maim%3B+great+homers+and+no-hitters+are+pure+joy+or+deep+tragedy+without+practical+consequence+%5B%E2%80%A6%5D.+Life+is+inherently+ambiguous%3B+baseball+games+pit+pure+good+against+abject+evil.+Even+Saddam+Hussein+must+have+committed+one+act+of+kindness+in+his+life%2C+but+what+iota+of+good+could+possibly+be+said+for+aluminum+bats+or+the+designated+hitter+rule%3F%0A&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2FauthorIcons%2F9242%2FStephen+Jay_Gould_64x64.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=85257&author=Stephen Jay Gould"e=Very+little+comes+easily+to+our+poor%2C+benighted+species+%28the+first+creature%2C+after+all%2C+to+experiment+with+the+novel+evolutionary+inventions+of+self-conscious+philosophy+and+art%29.+Even+the+most+%E2%80%9Cobvious%2C%E2%80%9D+%E2%80%9Caccurate%2C%E2%80%9D+and+%E2%80%9Cnatural%E2%80%9D+style+of+thinking+or+drawing+must+be+regulated+by+history+and+won+by+struggle.+Solutions+must+therefore+arise+within+a+social+context+and+record+the+complex+interactions+of+mind+and+environment+that+define+the+possibility+of+human+improvement.%0A&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2FauthorIcons%2F9242%2FStephen+Jay_Gould_64x64.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=85261&author=Stephen Jay Gould"e=Each+and+every+loss+becomes+an+instance+of+ultimate+tragedy%E2%80%94something+that+once+was%2C+but+shall+never+be+known+to+us.+The+hump+of+the+giant+deer%E2%80%94as+a+nonfossilizable+item+of+soft+anatomy%E2%80%94should+have+fallen+into+the+maw+of+erased+history.+But+our+ancestors+provided+a+wondrous+rescue%2C+and+we+should+rejoice+mightily.+Every+new+item+can+instruct+us%3B+every+unexpected+object+possesses+beauty+for+its+own+sake%3B+every+rescue+from+history%27s+great+shredding+machine+is%E2%80%94and+I+don%27t+know+how+else+to+say+this%E2%80%94a+holy+act+of+salvation+for+a+bit+of+totality.%0A&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2FauthorIcons%2F9242%2FStephen+Jay_Gould_64x64.png){kind=link}
![Powerpoint](http://www.iwise.com/downloadPPT.php?quote_id=85167&author=Stephen Jay Gould"e=My+visceral+perception+of+brotherhood+harmonizes+with+our+best+modern+biological+knowledge.+%5B%E2%80%A6%5D+Many+people+think+%28or+fear%29+that+equality+of+human+races+represents+a+hope+of+liberal+sentimentality+probably+squashed+by+the+hard+realities+of+history.+They+are+wrong.+This+essay+can+be+summarized+in+a+single+phrase%2C+a+motto+if+you+will%3A+Human+equality+is+a+contingent+fact+of+history.+Equality+is+not+true+by+definition%3B+it+is+neither+an+ethical+principle+%28though+equal+treatment+may+be%29+nor+a+statement+about+norms+of+social+action.+It+just+worked+out+that+way.+A+hundred+different+and+plausible+scenarios+for+human+history+would+have+yielded+other+results+%28and+moral+dilemmas+of+enormous+magnitude%29.+They+didn%27t+happen.%0A&image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iwise.com%2FauthorIcons%2F9242%2FStephen+Jay_Gould_64x64.png){kind=link}
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