---
title: "1 Scientific Understanding Quotes By E. O. Wilson"
description: "1 Scientific Understanding quotes by E. O. Wilson. Plus more from E. O. Wilson and more Scientific Understanding sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/e-o-wilson-1348_biology_the-cost-of-scientific-advance-is-the-hu_913084.png"
---

> [The cost of scientific advance is the humbling recognition that reality was not constructed to be easily grasped by the human mind. This is the cardinal tenet of scientific understanding. Our species and its ways of thinking are a product…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-cost-of-scientific-advance-is-the-humbling-recognition-that/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/e-o-wilson-1348_biology_the-cost-of-scientific-advance-is-the-hu_913084.png)

## More by E. O. Wilson

> [Without a trace of irony I can say I have been blessed with brilliant enemies. I owe them a great debt, because they redoubled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/without-a-trace-of-irony-i-can-say-i-have-been-blessed-with-brilliant/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [It's always been a dream of mine, of exploring the living world, of classifying all the species and finding out what makes up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/it-s-always-been-a-dream-of-mine-of-exploring-the-living-world-of/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [Competing is intense among humans, and within a group, selfish individuals always win. But in contests between groups, groups of altruists always beat groups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/competing-is-intense-among-humans-and-within-a-group-selfish/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [When all else fails, men turn to reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/when-all-else-fails-men-turn-to-reason/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [The commitment must be much deeper - to let no species knowingly die; to take all reasonable action to protect every species and race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-commitment-must-be-much-deeper-to-let-no-species-knowingly-die-to/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [Science is not marginal. Like art, it is a universal possession of humanity, and scientific knowledge has become a vital part of our species'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/science-is-not-marginal-like-art-it-is-a-universal-possession-of/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [The living environment is the biosphere, the thin layer around the world of living organisms. We're part of that. Our existence is dependent on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-living-environment-is-the-biosphere-the-thin-layer-around-the/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [The biological evolutionary perception of life and of human qualities is radically different from that of traditional religion, whether it's Southern Baptist or Islam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-biological-evolutionary-perception-of-life-and-of-human-qualities/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [We should preserve every scrap of biodiversity as priceless while we learn to use it and come to understand what it means to humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/we-should-preserve-every-scrap-of-biodiversity-as-priceless-while-we/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [In many environments, take away the ants and there would be partial collapses in many of the land ecosystems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/in-many-environments-take-away-the-ants-and-there-would-be-partial/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [If those committed to the quest fail, they will be forgiven. When lost, they will find another way. The moral imperative of humanism is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/if-those-committed-to-the-quest-fail-they-will-be-forgiven-when-lost/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [The extinctions ongoing worldwide promise to be at least as great as the mass extinction that occurred at the end of the age of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-extinctions-ongoing-worldwide-promise-to-be-at-least-as-great-as/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [Most people are surprised when they hear my somber figures: we know of 2 million species of plants, animals and microorganisms, and we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/most-people-are-surprised-when-they-hear-my-somber-figures-we-know-of/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [Because the living environment is what really sustains us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/because-the-living-environment-is-what-really-sustains-us/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [The variety of genes on the planet in viruses exceeds, or is likely to exceed, that in all of the rest of life combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-variety-of-genes-on-the-planet-in-viruses-exceeds-or-is-likely-to/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-understanding/e-o-wilson/#itemlist",
            "name": "1 Scientific Understanding Quotes By E. O. Wilson",
            "numberOfItems": 1,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "The cost of scientific advance is the humbling recognition that reality was not constructed to be easily grasped by the human mind. This is the cardinal tenet of scientific understanding. Our species and its ways of thinking are a product of evolution, not the purpose of evolution.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "E. O. Wilson"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-cost-of-scientific-advance-is-the-humbling-recognition-that/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/e-o-wilson-1348_biology_the-cost-of-scientific-advance-is-the-hu_913084.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/e-o-wilson-1348_biology_the-cost-of-scientific-advance-is-the-hu_913084.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/e-o-wilson-1348_biology_the-cost-of-scientific-advance-is-the-hu_913084.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“The cost of scientific advance is the humbling recognition that reality was not constructed to be easily…” — E. O. Wilson",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-understanding/e-o-wilson/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-understanding/e-o-wilson/",
            "name": "Scientific Understanding Quotes by E. O. Wilson",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-understanding/e-o-wilson/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/e-o-wilson-1348_biology_the-cost-of-scientific-advance-is-the-hu_913084.png"
            },
            "description": "1 Scientific Understanding quotes by E. O. Wilson. Plus more from E. O. Wilson and more Scientific Understanding sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-understanding/e-o-wilson/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-understanding/e-o-wilson/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Scientific Understanding",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-understanding/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "E. O. Wilson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-understanding/e-o-wilson/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```