#at

A very Faustian choice is upon us: whether to accept our corrosive and risky behavior as the unavoidable price of population and economic growth, or to take stock of ourselves and search for a new environmental ethic. ↗

— E. O. Wilson

#behavior #choice #corrosive #economic #economic growth

It's obvious that the key problem facing humanity in the coming century is how to bring a better quality of life - for 8 billion or more people - without wrecking the environment entirely in the attempt. ↗

— E. O. Wilson

#better #better quality #billion #bring #century

So in my freshman year at the University of Alabama, learning the literature on evolution, what was known about it biologically, just gradually transformed me by taking me out of literalism and increasingly into a more secular, scientific view of the world. ↗

— E. O. Wilson

#alabama #biologically #evolution #freshman #freshman year

Ants are the dominant insects of the world, and they've had a great impact on habitats almost all over the land surface of the world for more than 50-million years. ↗

— E. O. Wilson

#ants #dominant #great #habitats #had

Ants are the leading removers of dead creatures on the land. And the rest of life is substantially dependent upon them. ↗

— E. O. Wilson

#creatures #dead #dependent #land #leading

But once the ants and termites jumped the high barrier that prevents the vast variety of evolving animal groups from becoming fully social, they dominated the world. ↗

— E. O. Wilson

#ants #barrier #becoming #dominated #evolving

For me, the peculiar qualities of faith are a logical outcome of this level of biological organization. ↗

— E. O. Wilson

#faith #level #logical #me #organization

I doubt that most people with short-term thinking love the natural world enough to save it. ↗

— E. O. Wilson

#enough #i #love #most #natural

I had in mind a message, although I hope it doesn't intrude too badly, persuading Americans, and especially Southerners, of the critical importance of land and our vanishing natural environment and wildlife. ↗

— E. O. Wilson

#badly #critical #environment #especially #had

I see no way out of the problems that organized religion and tribalism create other than humans just becoming more honest and fully aware of themselves. ↗

— E. O. Wilson

#becoming #create #fully #honest #humans