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Theory Quotes

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Theory Quotes

“I have just finished my sketch of my species theory. If as I believe that my theory is true & if it be accepted even by one competent judge, it will be a considerable step in science. I therefore write this, in case of my sudden death, as my most solemn & last request, which I am sure you will consider the same as if legally entered in my will, that you will devote 400£ to its publication & further will yourself, or through Hensleigh [Wedgwood], take trouble in promoting it.”

Source: On Evolution: The Development of the Theory of Natural Selection

“The major novelty of my theory was its claim that the most rapid evolutionary change does not occur in widespread, populous species, as claimed by Most geneticists, but in small founder populations.”

Doe Theory Majors Claims Species Population Founders Rapids Novelty

Book:Toward a New Philosophy of Biology: Observations of an Evolutionist

Source: Toward a New Philosophy of Biology: Observations of an Evolutionist

“Wonderful theory, wrong species.”

Humans Wonderful Theory Species Marxism Ants

Author:E. O. Wilson

“This influential, yet controversial idea requires that the mixture of species on Earth at any moment acts as a collective organism that continuously (yet unwittingly) tunes Earth's atmospheric composition and climate to promote the presence of life... But I'd bet there are some dead Martians and Venusians who advanced the same theory about their own planets a billion years ago.”

Source: Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries

“The evolution of cultures appears to follow the pattern of the evolution of species. The many different forms of culture which arise correspond to the "mutations" of genetic theory. Some forms prove to be effective under prevailing circumstances and others not, and the perpetuation of the culture is determined accordingly.”

Different Form Culture Theory Evolution Circumstances Prove Species Patterns Determined Arise Prevailing Mutation

Book:Science And Human Behavior

Source: Science And Human Behavior

“The struggle for existence holds as much in the intellectual as in the physical world. A theory is a species of thinking, and its right to exist is coextensive with its power of resisting extinction by its rivals.”

Thinking World Science Existence Struggle Theory Intellectual Species Intellect Extinction Rivals Resisting Struggle For Existence

Book:Collected essays

Source: Collected essays

“As often as Herman had witnessed the slaughter of animals and fish, he always had the same thought: in their behaviour toward creatures, all men were Nazis. The smugness with which man could do with other species as he pleased exemplified the most extreme racist theories, the principle that might is right.”

“It's a flaw in our argument, for sure. By any reading of evolutionary theory, creationists ought to have died out ages ago. They serve no function in the planet's ecosystem, and no other species has survived so long while in such fundamental disagreement with observable reality. If I wasn't such an ardent believer in secular materialism, I'd wager this is really troubling Darwin in the afterlife.”

Ifs Long Reality Age Reading Planets Theory Ought Argument Function Died Fundamentals Species Believer Materialism Flaws Afterlife Secular Survived Disagreement Ecosystems Ardent Wagers

Author:Richard Dawkins

“Group selection and individual selection are just two of the selection processes that have played important roles in evolution. There also is selection within individual organisms (intragenomic conflict), and selection among multi-species communities (an idea that now is getting attention in work on the human microbiome). All four of these levels of selection find a place in multi-level selection theory.”

Humans Two Important Ideas Individual Process Community Levels Attention Roles Four Groups Theory Evolution Conflict Species Organisms Selection

Author:Elliott Sober

“Evolutionary theory tends to explain quite well in retrospect how various species emerged. It's not very good on prediction. Nevertheless, one cannot say that there isn't a lot of knowledge that's been obtained in this field. In the same way, with these complex physical phenomena between solid state physics, you can say a lot of things without necessarily knowing the next step.”

Way Wells States Next Steps Knowing Fields Theory Species Complexes Very Good Various Physics Nevertheless Predictions Next Steps Retrospect

Author:Kenneth Arrow

“The human species, according to the best theory I can form of it, is composed of two distinct races, the men who borrow and the men who lend.”

Men Humans I Can Two Form Race Theory Species Debt Borrowing Human Species

Author:Charles Lamb

“Darwin's theory of evolution is a framework by which we understand the diversity of life on Earth. But there is no equation sitting there in Darwin's 'Origin of Species' that you apply and say, 'What is this species going to look like in 100 years or 1,000 years?' Biology isn't there yet with that kind of predictive precision.”

Years Looks Kind Earth Theory Evolution Diversity Sitting Species Biology Equations Framework Precision Theory Of Evolution Origin Of Species Diversity Of Life

Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson