Find quotes, thinkers, and ideas across centuries of human thought.
Nayef Al-Rodhan
1959
77 quotes
"Indeed, there is no evidence to suggest innate morality. It is therefore important to create the conditions under which the expansion of our moral communities may become more likely."
"The history of human civilisation is a history of mutual borrowings."
"Human nature is governed by general self-interest and affected by genetic predisposition, which implies that there are likely to be limits to our moral sensitivities."
"We are neither radically free to choose our nature nor entirely determined by our biological heritage."
"Policies should take account of the emotional dimensions of human behaviour rather than assuming rational action."
"International cooperation is required to prevent anarchic situations developing and the unmasking of ever-present brutality and injustice that results from fear for survival in such situations."
"A good governance paradigm that limits excesses of human nature and ensures an atmosphere of happiness and productivity by promoting reason and dignity is required."
"I define sustainable history as a durable progressive trajectory in which the quality of life on this planet or other planets is premised on the guarantee of human dignity for all at all times and und…"
"What makes our existence meaningful is highly subjective and ultimately determined by sustainable neurochemical gratification."
"Strict ethical guidelines need to be developed in anticipation of significant technological and biotechnological advances in order to guarantee human dignity."
"Further, humanity must never be complacent about the virtues of human nature. Therefore, everything must be done at all levels to prevent alienation, inequality, deprivation, fear, injustice, anarchy …"
"All policies should be packaged with full awareness of the limitation of human nature in both the short- and the long-term."
"Cultural essentialism is, thus, intimately tied to power relations. Fixity, homogeneity and separateness are prioritised within an essentialist framework. Therefore, part of any effort to resist essen…"
"Civilisational triumph is important because if it is not actively sought, conflictual relations between members of geo-cultural domains may become a self-fulfilling prophecy."
"Just like the threat of mutually assured destruction from nuclear weapons, an extensive war in space would make space useless, and the decisions taken today will influence the use of space for many ge…"
"Humankind is conceived as primarily motivated by neurochemically mediated emotions resulting from genetic make-up and environmental influences, employing reason and engaging in conscious reflection on…"
"We are therefore driven by both basic survival instincts and rational thought."
"Human and societal security should be seen as complementary to state security, and security must be thought of in multi-sum and multi-dimensional terms ."
"Nayef Al-Rodhan's personal webpage"
"Those who are outside the centres of power, because of the need for a positive and not simply a stable identity, are likely to find an independent identity appealing."
"Morally relevant emotions are essential for living in social groups and they provide the basis on which we may construct conceptual frameworks that help guide our actions, but human beings should more…"
"Humankind is an insignificant part of existence."
"Human nature as we know it is, nevertheless, malleable and manageable. It may be radically modified as a result of advances in bio-, molecular, nano- and computational technologies. It will therefore …"
"In my opinion, a life governed by reason is likely to be more dignified than one shaped by dogma and unbridled emotions."
"In the “stealth era,” battlefield strength might just be dictated by the level of stealth or invisibility technology at the disposal of combatants. This is likely to trigger a scientific and technolog…"
"Focusing purely on extremism, whether in the Arab-Islamic world or the West, will not alleviate the root causes of tensions between members of different cultures. It will only alienate those who do no…"
"Ultimately, I conclude that however we understand existence, what gives meaning to our lives are those things that serve our neurochemically based emotional self-interest in a sustainable way."
"Many of the great achievements in history that are commonly attributed to one geo-cultural domain often owe a great debt to those of others. In this sense, some of the greatest achievements of human c…"
"All knowledge is to some extent interpreted."
"Geneva Centre for Security Policy"
"There is a physical neurobiological substrate to all human knowledge, including thoughts, memories, perceptions and emotions. To this end, mental states and thought processes are physical."
"There is only one collective human civilisation comprised of geo-cultural domains and cultures."
"Emotional Amoral Egoism indicates that ethnic conflict should be understood in terms of a reaction to a failure to satisfy a group’s basic physiological, security and ego needs due to discrimination, …"
"Civilisational triumph is thus not a zero-sum enterprise that favours one geo-cultural domain over another."
"Human beings are emotional amoral egoists, driven above all by emotional self-interest. All of our thoughts, beliefs and motivations are neurochemically mediated, some predetermined for survival, othe…"
"By promoting justice and thus the interests of the international community as a whole, a state will be able to make its influence over others sustainable and achieve its own national interest."
"A state’s foreign policy should not just be smart, it should also be just."
"Knowledge is also inferred from what is accepted as established knowledge, with new knowledge being based on the best explanation. This includes possible truths subject to proof."
"A lesser-known fact about the geopolitics of resources has escaped public polemics. This refers to rare earth metals or rare-earth elements , a set of 17 naturally occurring non-toxic materials, which…"
"Each high point in the history of human civilisation has taken place where the conditions were ripe and has borrowed and built on the achievements of other cultures whose golden age may have passed."
"Policies that assume that human nature is a tabula rasa should be reviewed and revised to reflect that man has an in-built genetic code for survival with no evidence for innate morality."
"3D printing is going to transform our societies, our freedoms and our sense of security."
"Addictive drugs misuse the brain’s existing pre-programming, activating reward mechanisms and extreme feelings of pleasure. When stimulated, the brain’s pleasure centres emit signals to repeat the beh…"
"It is unrealistic to imagine a US geostrategic vision which sees its pivotal interests linked exclusively to the Pacific region. More appropriately, we need to consider the wider Middle East, Central …"
"Institutions should focus on educating against clashes of culture and the promotion of a culture of tolerance and peace."
"Morality, if present, should not be relied on because it will be trumped by self interest in most circumstances."
"Our new concept of just power argues that the promotion of justice should be the aim of modern statecraft, not for altruistic reasons, but because it is the only sustainable way that states can promot…"
"Much like addictive drugs, power uses ready-made reward circuitries in the brain, producing extreme pleasure."
"Justice is paramount to civilisational triumph because of its centrality to human dignity needs, the success of individual geo-cultural domains and the well-being of human civilisation."
"Considerations of justice are also integral to efforts to generate transcultural security in the first instance and, ultimately, transcultural synergy."
"We should aim for peaceful coexistence at least and transcultural synergy at best."
"Human beings are largely motivated by their emotional repertoire, manifested through their need for attachment, physical security, a sense of belonging and a positive personal and collective identity."
"Knowledge about things beyond our immediate environment may be acquired through deduction, if the initial premises are believed to be correct."
"St Antony's College, Oxford University"
"People should be educated about the links between education, ideology, and politics as a way to promote the virtue of humility."
"Cultural and ethnic diversity benefit humanity’s future, survival, strength and excellence, promoting what I call cultural vigour, similar to the way in which molecular and genetic diversity promote “…"
"Dignity is central to the sustainability of history."
"One of the key ingredients of coexistence and successful cooperation is trust."
"Circumstances will determine what I term the survival value of humankind’s moral compass. Being highly moral in an immoral environment will almost certainly be detrimental to one’s survival and vice v…"
"Much of what we often consider knowledge is actually a point of view held without sufficient grounds: in a word, dogma."