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
Similar quotes
I would be very ashamed of my civilization if we did not try to find out if there is life in outer space.
Going to Mars would evolve humankind into a two-planet species.
To learn more about science, turn off your electronic device and go outside and look around a bit. Nature is calling you. Go on. The internet will still be here.
Symmetries are the playing field on which the physical world works and which determine the rules of the game. The symmetries of nature determine for us things that remain constant, that can't be changed. Those are the guideposts in physics, the quantities like energy and momentum.
It seemed, indeed, that the study of light-scattering might carry one into the deepest problems of physics and chemistry, and it was this belief which led to the subject becoming the main theme of our activities at Calcutta from that time onwards.
And what I wanted to do was, I wanted to explore problems and areas where we didn't have answers. In fact, where we didn't even know the right questions to ask.