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Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2) QUOTES

Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2) QUOTES

1 " The next time you get into a political discussion, stop and ask yourself what amount of evidence would change your mind. If the answer is none, then realize you’re actually in a religious discussion, one more zealot arguing with another. "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

2 " As my hero Richard Feynman would say, “It doesn’t matter how beautiful your theory is; it doesn’t matter how smart you are. If it doesn’t agree with experiment, it’s wrong. "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

3 " When no amount of evidence can convince you that your worldview might be inaccurate, then we’ve exited the realm of reason and entered religious territory. This is why I laugh at the notion of reconciling faith and science. Science is based on the premise that logic and reason can tell us the true nature of reality. Religion is based on the idea that when logic and reason don’t support a predetermined view of reality, they are at fault. "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

4 " The real danger isn’t what the Atlantic articles or the New York Times editorials would have you believe: that good guys become bad guys. The real danger is that the good guys will blindly keep doing bad things that they don’t see as bad. It’s why people who would give the shirt off their back to help the poor and the hungry will then march against genetically modified food, even if such food products could save millions of children from blindness or starvation. It’s when people who want democracy in the Middle East find themselves building military bases instead of schools and hospitals. "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

5 " Scanning through the bar graphs and readouts of the first DNA sequence e-mailed to me from the lab, I can see the messy, haphazard collection of instructions that make up a human life. While some would argue that the fact that this almost random pattern is proof of a miracle, I’d point out that by that logic, every living thing that manages to be born is a miracle—and if we’re all miracles, then nobody is, because the word has lost its meaning. Life works or it doesn’t. "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

6 " The next time you get into a political discussion, stop and ask yourself what amount of evidence would change your mind. If the answer is none, then realize you’re actually in a religious discussion, one more zealot arguing with another. Have I mentioned I’m not on Facebook? "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

7 " Phone call. "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

8 " What amount of evidence would convince you that you are wrong? For the truthers, moon-landing hoaxers, and extremists on both sides of any issue, the answer is simple: nothing. When no amount of evidence can convince you that your worldview might be inaccurate, then we’ve exited the realm of reason and entered religious territory. This is why I laugh at the notion of reconciling faith and science. Science is based on the premise that logic and reason can tell us the true nature of reality. Religion is based on the idea that when logic and reason don’t support a predetermined view of reality, they are at fault. "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

9 " more evidence so I don’t look like a conspiracy-theory crackpot when I try to point out that not only was the real Toy Man not killed a few days ago in a Brazilian prison before he could be extradited, he’s actually a war criminal living as a minister in Georgia. "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

10 " Bayesian statistics? "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

11 " The real danger is that the good guys will blindly keep doing bad things that they don’t see as bad. It’s why people who would give the shirt off their back to help the poor and the hungry will then march against genetically modified food, even if such food products could save millions of children from blindness or starvation. "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

12 " FIFTY "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

13 " How do you weigh the known versus the unknown? You can’t. It all comes down to what statistics you choose to believe. "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

14 " In a flash I have a realization that chills me even further. While Robert and Ms. Violet knowingly engage in theatrics, that’s just for business. It doesn’t mean they don’t actually believe this. The moving wave of leaves fades away before me, and I’m suddenly aware that the frogs have stopped their croaking. I get the feeling that I’m being watched. When I glance down at the shadows of Robert and me at our feet, a third figure now stands between us. "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

15 " threat, as well as a trillion-dollar biotechnology industry that keeps coming up with new ways to scare us. "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

16 " He continues, “I’m here to make sure nothing gets fucked up. Do you trust your people?” “Not one bit,” I reply. “But I trust their self-interest.” “Right answer. One more question, just for my benefit. Why?” I look back in the direction of hotel. “It seemed like the most efficient way to eradicate the vector that made Oyo possible.” Bill strokes his chin, nodding. “Okay, Professor. So it’s all just biology to you?” “And mathematics. Don’t forget the mathematics.” Bill mutters, “Goddamn. I think you scare me more than Oyo.” “I’m just following things to their rational conclusion. "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

17 " The real danger is that the good guys will blindly keep doing bad things that they don’t see as bad. It’s why people who would give the shirt off their back to help the poor and the hungry will then march against genetically modified food, even if such food products could save millions of children from blindness or starvation. It’s when people who want democracy in the Middle East find themselves building military bases instead of schools and hospitals. "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

18 " The next time you get into a political discussion, stop and ask yourself what amount of evidence would change your mind. If the answer is none, then realize you’re actually in a religious discussion, one more zealot arguing with another "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

19 " your distance isn’t because you’re far away, it’s because you’re a thousand feet overhead, trying to look at all the little parts, seeing which ones need to be fixed. "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)

20 " When no amount of evidence can convince you that your worldview might be inaccurate, then we’ve exited the realm of reason and entered religious territory "

― Andrew Mayne , Looking Glass (The Naturalist, #2)