I would argue that nothing gives life more purpose than the realization that every moment of consciousness is a precious and fragile gift.
Interpretation
Life is a precious gift, and being aware of our conscious moments gives it purpose.
In this quote, Steven Pinker emphasizes the importance of recognizing the value of life and consciousness. He argues that when we realize that each moment we are aware is unique and fragile, we begin to appreciate our existence more deeply, and this appreciation brings a profound sense of purpose to our lives.
In practice
During a motivational speech, to emphasize the importance of cherishing every moment.
The foundation of individual rights is the assumption that people have wants and needs and are authorities on what those wants and needs are. If people's stated desires were just some kind of erasable inscription or reprogrammable brainwashing, any atrocity could be justified.
The linguistic clumsiness of tourists and students might be the price we pay for the linguistic genius we displayed as babies, just as the decrepitude of age in the price we pay for the vigor of youth.
If we are not to abandon values such as peace and equality, or our commitments to science and truth, then we must pry these values away from claims about our psychological makeup that are vulnerable to being proven false.
We adults protect ourselves with laws, police, workplace regulations and social norms and there is no conceivable reason why children should be left more vulnerable, other that laziness or callousness in considering what life is like from their point of view.
The idea that children are passive repositories to be shaped by their parents has been massively overstated. A child's peer group is a far greater determinant of its development and achievements than parental aspiration.
Reason is non-negotiable. Try to argue against it, or to exclude it from some realm of knowledge, and you've already lost the argument, because you're using reason to make your case. ... We don't "believe" in reason.
Fundamentally the marksman aims at himself.
By a conscious effort of the mind we can stand aloof from actions and their consequences; and all things, good and bad, go by us like a torrent.
I'm an atheist, and that's it. I believe there's nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for people.
The West as a whole in the early 1990s become obsessed with a 'peace dividend' that would be spent over and over again on any number of soft-hearted and sometimes soft-headed causes. Politicians forget that the only real peace dividend is peace.
All societies wrestle with the scourge of prejudice, but validating that prejudice in statute makes a virtue of oppression.
We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives.
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