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Past Lectures at Caltech

Beyond Cosmic Dice
Moral Life in a Random World

Jeff Schweitzer

Morality is our biological destiny. We each have within us the awesome power to create our own meaning in life, our own sense of purpose, our own destiny. With a natural ethic we are able to move beyond the random hand of birth to pave our own road to a better life. With the ability to choose to be good comes the obligation to make that choice; choosing to be moral is what makes us special as individuals and as a species. We are special if we choose to be, if we ourselves decide to use our big brains to manage wisely our relationships with one another and with our environment.

Dr. Schweitzer spent much of his youth underwater pursuing his lifelong fascination with marine life. He obtained his doctorate from Scripps Institution of Oceanography through his neurobehavioral studies of sharks and rays. He has published in an eclectic range of fields, including neurobiology, marine science, international development, environmental protection and aviation, and he worked the White House as Assistant Director for International Science and Technology. Praise from Bill Maher: “This is the book that ties it all together — the problems that religion creates in solving our looming problems, and the unholy environmental mess we’re in. I’d say that someday we’re going to have to listen to this man, but the truth is, that day is NOW.”

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