Everything in nature is the result of fixed laws.
Charles DarwinRead
Hereafter we shall be compelled to acknowledge that the only distinction between species and well-marked varieties is, that the latter are known, or believed to be connected at the present day by intermediate gradations whereas species were formerly thus connected.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the blurred lines between species and varieties, emphasizing the importance of intermediate forms in evolutionary biology.
In this quote, Charles Darwin conveys the idea that the differences between species and well-defined varieties are not absolute but rather based on the current understanding of their evolutionary connections. He suggests that species were once considered connected by gradations, similar to how we see varieties today, indicating that our classification systems are informed by our knowledge of evolutionary relationships.
Themes
EvolutionSpeciesVarietiesGradationsBiology
In practice
Example use cases
In a biology lecture discussing evolution and species classification.
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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.
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we are always slow in admitting any great change of which we do not see the intermediate steps
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