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I now come to the third great obstacle to human self-knowledge, to the belief — deeply rooted in our western culture — that what can be explained in terms of natural science has no values. This belief springs from an exaggeration of Kant's values-philosophy, the consequence of the idealistic dichotomy of the world into the external world of things and the internal laws of human reason.

— Konrad Lorenz On Aggression (1963)

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More quotes by Konrad Lorenz

It is a good thing for a research scientist to discard a pet hypothesis every day before breakfast.

It is a good morning exercise for a research scientist to discard a pet hypothesis every day before breakfast. It keeps him young.

On Aggression (1963)

We are the highest achievement reached so far by the great constructors of evolution. We are their "latest" but certainly not their last word.

On Aggression (1963)

Our freest will underlies strict moral laws, and one of the reasons for our longing for freedom is to prevent our obeying other laws than these.

On Aggression (1963)

The cat is a wild animal that inhabits the homes of humans.

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