At the sight of a single bone, of a single piece of bone, I recognize and reconstruct the portion of the whole from which it would have been taken. The whole being to which this fragment belonged appears in my mind's eye.
Georges CuvierRead
It is to them [fossils] alone that we owe the commencement of even a Theory of the Earth ... By them we are enabled to ascertain, with the utmost certainty, that our earth has not always been covered over by the same external crust, because we are thoroughly assured that the organized bodies to which these fossil remains belong must have lived upon the surface before they came to be buried, as they now are, at a great depth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Fossils provide vital evidence for understanding the Earth's geological history and the changes it has undergone.
Georges Cuvier emphasizes the importance of fossils as crucial evidence that allows us to understand the historical changes of the Earth's surface. As these remnants of ancient life show that the Earth's crust has not remained constant, they enable scientists to reconstruct the planet's geological past and the evolution of life that existed before those organisms were fossilized.
Themes
FossilsEarthHistoryGeologyScience
In practice
Example use cases
In a classroom setting discussing paleontology, this quote can enlighten students about the significance of fossils.
More from Georges Cuvier
All quotes →Genius and science have burst the limits of space, and few observations, explained by just reasoning, have unveiled the mechanism of the universe. Would it not also be glorious for man to burst the limits of time, and, by a few observations, to ascertain the history of this world, and the series of events which preceded the birth of the human race?
Georges CuvierRead
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