Just as we underestimate the degree to which human brains rely upon instincts, so we have generally underestimated the degree to which other animals … - Matt Ridley

The evolutionary implication is that we are descended from a common ancestor with flies which used the same way of defining the pattern of the embryo more than 530 million years ago, and that the mechanism was so good that all this dead creature’s descendants have hung on to it.

Those of libertarian bent often prove more generous than those of a socialist persuasion: where the socialist feels that it is government’s job to look after the poor using taxes, libertarians think it is their duty.

Simple determinism, whether of the genetic or environmental kind, is a depressing prospect for those with a fondness for free will.