Gregory Bateson Quotes

A collection of quotes by Gregory Bateson.

Gregory Bateson (1904-1980) was an English anthropologist, social scientist, and cyberneticist. He is known for his influential work in fields like anthropology, communication theory, and systems theory. Bateson's holistic approach explored the complex interactions between individuals, society, and the environment, emphasizing the interconnectedness and interdependence of these systems. His studies on patterns of communication and belief systems helped shape the field of family therapy, and his ideas on cybernetics and the double bind theory contributed to the understanding of human communication and cognition. Bateson's multidisciplinary approach continues to inspire scholars in various disciplines.

Official education was telling people almost nothing of the

Official education was telling people almost nothing of the nature of all those things on the seashores, and in the redwood forests, in the deserts and in the plains.

Gregory Bateson


It is to the Riddle of the Sphinx that I have devoted fifty

It is to the Riddle of the Sphinx that I have devoted fifty years of professional life as an anthropologist.

Gregory Bateson

Life

We do not know enough about how the present will lead into t

We do not know enough about how the present will lead into the future.

Gregory Bateson

Future

All experience is subjective.

All experience is subjective.

Gregory Bateson

Experience

It is, I claim, nonsense to say that it does not matter whic

It is, I claim, nonsense to say that it does not matter which individual man acted as the nucleus for the change. It is precisely this that makes history unpredictable into the future.

Gregory Bateson

Future

Every move we make in fear of the next war in fact hastens i

Every move we make in fear of the next war in fact hastens it.

Gregory Bateson

Fear

Science, like art, religion, commerce, warfare, and even sle

Science, like art, religion, commerce, warfare, and even sleep, is based on presuppositions.

Gregory Bateson

Religion

In the transmission of human culture, people always attempt

In the transmission of human culture, people always attempt to replicate, to pass on to the next generation the skills and values of the parents, but the attempt always fails because cultural transmission is geared to learning, not DNA.

Gregory Bateson

Learning