pp. 168-169
“
Of course, atheism, which is merely the lack of belief in gods, isn’t responsible for explaining altruism and ethics, a task that properly belongs to philosophy, science, and psychology. And those areas have offered plenty of nonreligious explanations for the “Moral law” and altruism. The explanations involve evolution, reason, and education.
— Jerry Coyne
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Of course, atheism, which is merely the lack of belief in gods, isn’t responsible for explaining altruism and ethics, a task that properly belongs to philosophy, science, and psychology. And those areas have offered plenty of nonreligious explanations for the “Moral law” and altruism. The explanations involve evolution, reason, and education." in the context of "pp. 168-169" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Jerry Coyne" (Quotes, Faith vs. Fact (2015): (2015), Faith vs. Fact place: New York, publisher: Viking, ISBN: 9780670026531, LCCN: 2015001103)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Jerry Coyne
Jerry Allen Coyne (born December 30, 1949) is an American biologist, known for his work on speciation and his commentary on intelligent design. A prolific scientist and author, he has published dozens of papers elucidating the theory of evolution. He is currently a professor emeritus at the University of Chicago in the Department of Ecology and Evolution.
About Jerry Coyne
Jerry Allen Coyne (born December 30, 1949) is an American biologist, known for his work on speciation and his commentary on intelligent design. A prolific scientist and author, he has published dozens of papers elucidating the theory of evolution. He is currently a professor emeritus at the University of Chicago in the Department of Ecology and Evolution.
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