John C. Lilly
(6 Jan 1915 - 30 Sep 2001)
American neuroscientist, writer and physician who researched dolphin communication, the nature of consciousness and psychedelic drugs. He wrote various books, including several on these fields of his work.
|
Science Quotes by John C. Lilly (2 quotes)
I invite you to entertain some new beliefs about dolphins … [that] these Cetacea with huge brains are more intelligent than any man or woman..
— John C. Lilly
A statement showing his enthusiasm, but overstating the intelligence of dolphins. In Communication between Man and Dolphin: The Possibilities of Talking with Other Species (1978), 1.
Individual dolphins and whales are to be given the legal rights of human individuals. … Research into communication with cetaceans is no longer simply a scientific pursuit…. We must learn their needs, their ethics, their philosophy, to find out who we are on this planet, in this galaxy.
— John C. Lilly
In The Rights of Cetaceans under Human Laws (1978), 138. This shows Lilly’s enthusiasm, but is definitely an over-reach. Edward O. Wilson bluntly rejects it. See the quote beginning “Lilly's writing differs…” on the Edward Wilson Quotation page on this website.