Home > Work > The Andromeda Evolution (Andromeda #2)
1 " It is a well established Achilles heel of human civilization that individuals are more motivated by immediate private reward than by long-term, collective benefits. This effect is particularly evident when considering payoffs that will take longer than a generation to arrive – a phenomenon called inter-generational discounting. In short, we as a species are motivated to betray our own descendants. Our inability to focus on long-term threats will lead to the destruction of our environment, overpopulation, and resource exhaustion – a built in timer for our own destruction. "
― Daniel H. Wilson , The Andromeda Evolution (Andromeda #2)
2 " Of all the ways you can limit yourself, your own self-definition is the most powerful. "
3 " Presidents and generals and all the important people in position to make the most important decisions are, by and large, the least equipped for making them. "
4 " And an unnecessary one. In the grand scheme of things, all human beings are part of the same family, regardless of origin.* The divisions we have built between ourselves along the lines of race and geography are illusions. If our species is ultimately able to see past these biases, it will be our shared genetic stamp of humanness that will outlive the cultural contrivances that distract us in our day-to-day lives. "
5 " The future is coming faster than most people realize. —MICHAEL CRICHTON "
6 " But—as history has proven time and again—in the hands of human beings, increasing power is increasingly dangerous. "
7 " IT IS A WELL-ESTABLISHED Achilles’ heel of human civilization that individuals are more motivated by immediate private reward than by long-term, collective future benefits. "
8 " In the grand scheme of things, all human beings are part of the same family, regardless of origin.* The divisions we have built between ourselves along the lines of race and geography are illusions. "
9 " Dealing with the Andromeda microparticle had gone from a purely scientific undertaking to a secret arms race with the sort of global repercussions not encountered since the height of the Cold War. As a result, Project Wildfire had grown to consume a disproportionate amount of resources. It had become a gargantuan feat just to hide its dozens of subprojects from the public view, costing billions of dollars and millions of man-hours. "
10 " Conservative estimates from the DC-based Nova America think tank conclude that Stern’s hunch likely saved three to four billion lives. "
11 " Presidents and generals and all the important people in position to make the most important decisions are, by and large, the least equipped for making them. —MICHAEL CRICHTON "
12 " I believe in the future. —MICHAEL CRICHTON "
13 " routine monitoring of her brain implant’s data stream showed that Kline’s predominant state of mind was an alpha brain wave varying between 7 and 13 Hz—a state of nonarousal, relaxed alertness in the face of mortal danger. It was a small discrepancy that would go unnoticed until much later. "
14 " Wu is seen taking a breath as if to speak . . . but the former taikonaut lets it out without saying anything. Her silence in this moment was surely spurred by conflicting desires—her duty to her team on one hand, versus her duty to maintain the secrets of her homeland on the other. With every word tantamount to a chess move, her decision to take no action here would prove a costly blunder. And an unnecessary one. "
15 " You’re trustworthy because you were never supposed to be here. You’re a wild card, Stone, and possibly a very lucky accident. "
16 " Odhiambo frowned. It seemed as if an opportunity for cooperation had just passed them by. Unfortunately, it was a chance that wouldn’t come again. "
17 " This is why Stern picked you at the last minute. On a damned hunch. "
18 " The average span of a human generation is twenty-five years. Any reward occurring beyond this generational horizon creates an imbalance that undermines long-term cooperation. In short, we as a species are motivated to betray our own descendants. In my view, the only possible solution is the institution of harsh and immediate punishments for those who would be unfaithful to the future. "
19 " In a disaster . . . individual personality does not matter. Almost everything you do is going to make it worse. —MICHAEL CRICHTON "
