Everything in nature is the result of fixed laws.
In the distant future I see open fields for far more important researches. Psychology will be based on a new foundation, that of the necessary acquirement of each mental power and capacity by gradation. Light will be thrown on the origin of man and his history.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Darwin envisions a future where psychology evolves into a comprehensive field grounded in human development and history.
In this quote, Charles Darwin expresses his vision for the future of psychology, where the discipline is built upon a systematic understanding of human mental abilities and capacities that develop gradually over time. He emphasizes the importance of research into the origins of humanity and its history, suggesting that a deeper comprehension of our mental faculties will lead to significant advancements in the field.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a university lecture discussing the evolution of psychology, this quote could be used to illustrate the future direction of the field.
More from Charles Darwin
All quotes →The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.
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.
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.
I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term of Natural Selection.
we are always slow in admitting any great change of which we do not see the intermediate steps
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Creationists eagerly seek a gap in present-day knowledge or understanding. If an apparent gap is found, it is assumed that God, by default, must fill it.
Neither had Watt of the Steam engine a heroic origin, any kindred with the princes of this world. The princes of this world were shooting their partridges... While this man with blackened fingers, with grim brow, was searching out, in his workshop, the Fire-secret.
Nobody ever told us all matter radiated. We just assumed it did.
I think that the future of the human race is to spread through the universe, and now is the time that we should be laying the foundations for that.
Science has a culture that is inherently cautious and that is normally not a bad thing. You could even say conservative, because of the peer review process and because the scientific method prizes uncertainty and penalises anyone who goes out on any sort of a limb that is not held in place by abundant and well-documented evidence.
For, behind the scenes, halfway around the world in Mexico, were two decades of aggressive research on wheat that not only enabled Mexico to become self-sufficient with respect to wheat production but also paved the way to rapid increase in its production in other countries.