Stephen Jay Gould - I would not choose to live in any age but...

I would not choose to live in any age but my own; advances in medicine alone, and the consequent survival of children with access to these benefits, should preclude any temptation to trade for the past. But we cannot understand history if we saddle the past with pejorative categories based on our bad habits for dividing continua into compartments of increasing worth towards the present. These errors apply to the vast paleontological history of life, as much as to the temporally trivial chronicle of human beings. I cringe every time I read that this failed business, or that defeated team, has become a dinosaur is succumbing to progress. Should be a term of praise, not opprobrium. Dinosaurs reigned for more than 100 million years and died through no fault of their own; is nowhere near a million years old, and has limited prospects, entirely self-imposed, for extended geological longevity.

Stephen Jay Gould

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Stephen Jay Gould Quotes

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I would not choose to live in any age but my own; advances in medicine alone, and the consequent survival of children with access to these benefits, should preclude any temptation to trade for the past. But we cannot understand history if we saddle the past with pejorative categories based on our bad habits for dividing continua into compartments of increasing worth towards the present. These errors apply to the vast paleontological history of life, as much as to the temporally trivial chronicle of human beings. I cringe every time I read that this failed business, or that defeated team, has become a dinosaur is succumbing to progress. Should be a term of praise, not opprobrium. Dinosaurs reigned for more than 100 million years and died through no fault of their own; is nowhere near a million years old, and has limited prospects, entirely self-imposed, for extended geological longevity. Stephen Jay Gould

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Keywords

choose live age advances medicine consequent survival children access benefits preclude temptation trade past understand history saddle pejorative categories based bad habits dividing continua compartments increasing worth present errors apply vast paleontological life temporally trivial chronicle human beings cringe time read failed business defeated team dinosaur succumbing progress term praise opprobrium dinosaurs reigned million years died fault limited prospects -imposed extended geological longevity

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