We do not draw conclusions with our eyes, but with our reasoning powers, and if the whole of the rest of living nature proclaims with one accord from all sides the evolution of the world of organisms, we cannot assume that the process stopped short of Man. But it follows also that the factors which brought about the development of Man from his Simian ancestry must be the same as those which have brought about the whole of evolution.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes that human evolution is part of the broader process of evolution observed in nature and relies on our reasoning to understand it.
August Weismann's quote reflects the idea that human beings are not separate from the evolutionary processes that shape all living organisms. He argues that just as nature evolves and adapts, so too did humans emerge from a long line of ancestors, influenced by the same evolutionary factors as all other life forms. Weismann highlights the importance of reasoning in our understanding of these concepts, suggesting that conclusions about our origins require thoughtful analysis rather than mere observation.
In practice
This quote can be used in a lecture about evolutionary biology to highlight the connection between humans and other species.
What a sublime idea of the infinite might of the great Architect, the Cause of all causes, the Father of all fathers, the Ens Entium! For if we would compare the Infinite, it would surely require a greater Infinite to cause the causes of effects than to produce the effects themselves.
We can invent as many theories we like, and any one of them can be made to fit the facts. But that theory is always preferred which makes the fewest number of assumptions.
I hope I have helped to raise the profile of science and to show that physics is not a mystery but can be understood by ordinary people.
Every discovery opens a new field for investigation of facts, shows us the imperfection of our theories. It has justly been said, that the greater the circle of light, the greater the boundary of darkness by which it is surrounded.
Should a young scientist working with me come to me after two years of such work and ask me what to do next, I would advise him to get out of science. After two years of work, if a man does not know what to do next, he will never make a real scientist.
Coal is a portable climate. It carries the heat of the tropics to Labrador and the polar circle; and it is the means of transporting itself whithersoever it is wanted. Watt and Stephenson whispered in the ear of mankind their secret, that a half-ounce of coal will draw two tons a mile, and coal carries coal, by rail and by boat, to make Canada as warm as Calcutta, and with its comfort brings its industrial power.
The feeling is constantly growing on me that I had been the first to hear the greeting of one planet to another.
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