Everything in nature is the result of fixed laws.
Charles DarwinRead
The main conclusion arrived at in this work, namely that man is descended from some lowly-organised form, will, I regret to think, be highly distasteful to many persons. But there can hardly be a doubt that we are descended from barbarians.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that human beings have evolved from primitive forms of life, a notion that may be unsettling for some.
In this quote, Charles Darwin addresses the uncomfortable reality of human evolution, indicating that humanity's origins can be traced back to primitive life forms. He acknowledges that this conclusion may provoke resistance due to its implications about our ancestry and the nature of human development, emphasizing the idea that evolution is a gradual process rooted in simplicity and barbarism.
Themes
EvolutionHumanityDescentAncestorsBarbarians
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the implications of evolutionary biology in understanding human nature.
More from Charles Darwin
All quotes →The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.
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I am quite conscious that my speculations run beyond the bounds of true science....It is a mere rag of an hypothesis with as many flaw[s] & holes as sound parts.
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We cannot fathom the marvelous complexity of an organic being; but on the hypothesis here advanced this complexity is much increased. Each living creature must be looked at as a microcosm--a little universe, formed of a host of self-propagating organisms, inconceivably minute and as numerous as the stars in heaven.
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I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term of Natural Selection.
Charles DarwinRead
we are always slow in admitting any great change of which we do not see the intermediate steps
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