I'm proud of the fact that I thought of the solar wind. It was an exercise in pursuing curiosity, which is the main motivation for studying physics from a personal standpoint.
Eugene ParkerRead
Evolution works by selection, not by instruction. There is no final cause, no teleology, no purpose guiding the overall process
Interpretation
What this quote means
Evolution occurs through natural selection rather than a predetermined plan or purpose.
Gerald Edelman's quote emphasizes the fundamental principle of evolution, which is driven by the process of selection among variations rather than a clear, designed instruction or end goal. It suggests that the evolution of life is a complex, unguided process where random mutations and environmental pressures shape species over time, devoid of any inherent purpose or final destination.
Themes
EvolutionSelectionNatural SelectionSciencePurposeProcess
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the principles of evolution in a biology class.
Similar quotes
[Mathematics] is security. Certainty. Truth. Beauty. Insight. Structure. Architecture. I see mathematics, the part of human knowledge that I call mathematics, as one thing - one great, glorious thing. Whether it is differential topology, or functional analysis, or homological algebra, it is all one thing. ... They are intimately interconnected, they are all facets of the same thing. That interconnection, that architecture, is secure truth and is beauty. That's what mathematics is to me.
Paul HalmosRead
Science is wonderfully equipped to answer the question 'How?' but it gets terribly confused when you ask the question 'Why?'
Erwin ChargaffRead
The average ground temperature of the Earth is impossible to measure since most of the Earth is ocean...So this average ground temperature is a fiction.
Freeman DysonRead
This fascination with computer models is something I understand very well. Richard Feynmann called it a disease. I fear he is right.
Michael CrichtonRead
When the space shuttle's engines cut off, and you're finally in space, in orbit, weightless... I remember unstrapping from my seat, floating over to the window, and that's when I got my first view of Earth. Just a spectacular view, and a chance to see our planet as a planet.
Sally RideRead