Nothing in the natural world makes sense - except when seen in the light of evolution
Interpretation
This quote suggests that understanding evolution provides clarity to the complexities of the natural world.
David Attenborough's quote emphasizes the importance of evolutionary theory in making sense of the vast and often perplexing natural phenomena we observe. It implies that without the lens of evolution to guide us, many aspects of nature can seem chaotic and meaningless, but when viewed through the context of evolutionary development, a coherent narrative emerges, highlighting the interconnectedness of all living things.
In practice
In a lecture about environmental science, one might quote this to emphasize the significance of evolution in understanding biodiversity.
I don't think we are going to become extinct. We're very clever and extremely resourceful - and we will find ways of preserving ourselves, of that I'm sure. But whether our lives will be as rich as they are now is another question.
I'm against this huge globalisation on the basis of economic advantage.
I would be absolutely astounded if population growth and industrialisation and all the stuff we are pumping into the atmosphere hadn't changed the climatic balance. Of course it has. There is no valid argument for denial.
There's a small worm called Loa Loa Filariasis. This parasite can survive in one environment exclusively- namely, underneath the skin and inside the eyes of human beings. Children and the elderly in tropical regions (usually the poorest) are the most widely affected. A painful, slow death is virtually certain. The worm can actually live in the host for 17 years before the host finally dies.
The fundamental issue is the moral issue.
It is vital that there is a narrator figure whom people believe. That's why I never do commercials. If I started saying that margarine was the same as motherhood, people would think I was a liar.
We came all this way to explore the Moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth.
Most of the fundamental ideas of science are essentially simple, and may, as a rule, be expressed in a language comprehensible to everyone.
It is essential to understand our brains in some detail if we are to assess correctly our place in this vast and complicated universe we see all around us.
Whether it is to reduce our carbon-dioxide emissions or to prepare for when the coal and oil run out, we have to continue to seek out new energy sources.
When, as we must often do, we fear science, we really fear ourselves.
Do you realize that the 850 billion dollar bank bailout, that sum of money is greater than the entire 50 year running budget of NASA. And so when someone says, 'We don't have enough money for this space probe.' No, it's not that you don't have enough money. It's that the distribution of money that you're spending is warped in some way that you are removing the only thing that gives people something to dream about tomorrow.
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