Everything in nature is the result of fixed laws.
Charles DarwinRead
The noble science of Geology loses glory from the extreme imperfection of the record. The crust of the earth with its embedded remains must not be looked at as a well-filled museum, but as a poor collection made at hazard and at rare intervals.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Geology, while valuable, is hindered by an incomplete fossil record.
In this quote, Charles Darwin reflects on the nature of geology and the fossil record, suggesting that rather than being a comprehensive archive of Earth's history, it is merely a fragmented collection captured at random moments. This imperfection underscores the challenges scientists face in reconstructing the full story of Earth's past, highlighting both the richness and limitations of geological evidence.
Themes
GeologyFossil RecordImperfectionEarthScience
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on Earth's history, one might reference Darwin's quote to emphasize the challenges of geological interpretation.
More from Charles Darwin
All quotes →The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.
Charles DarwinRead
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.
Charles DarwinRead
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.
Charles DarwinRead
I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term of Natural Selection.
Charles DarwinRead
we are always slow in admitting any great change of which we do not see the intermediate steps
Charles DarwinRead
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