Pelin

“If that’s the case for some baboon, just imagine humans. We have to learn our culture’s rationalizations and hypocrisies—thou shalt not kill, unless it’s one of them, in which case here’s a medal. Don’t lie, except if there’s a huge payoff, or it’s a profoundly good act (“Nope, no refugees hiding in my attic, no siree”). Laws to be followed strictly, laws to be ignored, laws to be resisted. Reconciling acting as if each day is your last with today being the first day of the rest of your life.”
― Robert M. Sapolsky, Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will

“Even after controlling for factors like self-reporting or demographic correlates of religiosity, and after considering broader definitions of prosociality, religious people still come through as being more prosocial than atheists in some experimental as well as real-world settings. Which leads us to a really crucial point: religious prosociality is mostly about religious people being nice to people like themselves. It’s mostly in-group.”
― Robert M. Sapolsky, Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will

“Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike.”
― Robert M. Sapolsky, Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst

“Pride and self-hate belong inseparably together; they are two expressions of one process.”
― Karen Horney, Neurosis and Human Growth: The Struggle Towards Self-Realization