I am a creationist and an evolutionist. Evolution is God's, or Nature's method of creation. Creation is not an event that happened in 4004 BC; it is a process that began some 10 billion years ago and is still under way.
Theodosius DobzhanskyRead
Evolutionary plasticity can be purchased only at the ruthlessly dear price of continuously sacrificing some individuals to death from unfavourable mutations. Bemoaning this imperfection of nature has, however, no place in a scientific treatment of this subject.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Evolution relies on the survival of the fittest, often requiring sacrifices due to unfavorable mutations.
This quote by Theodosius Dobzhansky emphasizes the harsh realities of evolutionary processes, where the adaptability and diversity of species come at the cost of the survival of some individuals who bear unfavorable mutations. While it may seem tragic to sacrifice certain lives, this is an essential part of natural selection and evolution, and lamenting this fact does not advance scientific understanding.
Themes
EvolutionMutationsNatural SelectionScienceAdaptability
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on evolutionary biology, I used this quote to illustrate the harsh realities of natural selection.
More from Theodosius Dobzhansky
All quotes →Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.
Theodosius DobzhanskyRead
Similar quotes
Science is a beautiful gift to humanity; we should not distort it.
A. P. J. Abdul KalamRead
If you've been wondering where the next gold rush is going to take place, look up at the night sky to our closest celestial neighbor. The next economic boom might just be a mere 240,000 miles away on the bella luna.
Peter DiamandisRead
As Darwin himself was at pains to point out, natural selection is all about differential survival within species, not between them.
Richard DawkinsRead
Fortunately, there's another handy driver that has manifested itself throughout the history of cultures. The urge to want to gain wealth. That is almost as potent a driver as the urge to maintain your security. And that is how I view NASA going forward - as an investment in our economy.
Neil Degrasse TysonRead
My roots, in college, were in behavior in the context of evolution.
Robert SapolskyRead
Why is there space rather than no space? Why is space three-dimensional? Why is space big? We have a lot of room to move around in. How come it's not tiny? We have no consensus about these things. We're still exploring them.
Leonard SusskindRead