--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have really, that I know of, no…" description: "\"We have really, that I know of, no philosophical basis for high and low. Moreover, the vegetable kingdom does not culminate, as the animal kingdom does..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78d/asa-gray-20258_animal_we-have-really-that-i-know-of-no-philoso_2422331.jpg" --- # We have really, that I know of, no philosophical basis for… ![“We have really, that I know of, no philosophical basis for high and low. Moreover, the vegetable kingdom does not culminate, as the animal kingdom does. It is not a kingdom, but a common-wealth; a democracy, and therefore puzzling and unaccountable from the former point of view.” quote by Asa Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78d/asa-gray-20258_animal_we-have-really-that-i-know-of-no-philoso_2422331.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78d/asa-gray-20258_animal_we-have-really-that-i-know-of-no-philoso_2422331.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78d/asa-gray-20258_animal_we-have-really-that-i-know-of-no-philoso_2422331.jpg) > “We have really, that I know of, no philosophical basis for high and low. Moreover, the vegetable kingdom does not culminate, as the animal kingdom does. It is not a kingdom, but a common-wealth; a democracy, and therefore puzzling and unaccountable from the former point of view.” [Asa Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-gray/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Plants lack a hierarchical order like animals, forming a democratic community without clear rank. **In simple terms:** Plants are organized as a commonwealth, not a hierarchy. Key Takeaway Recognize the equality in nature. Themes equality democracy biology philosophy Mood thoughtful analytical Type explanatory philosophical When to use this quote - gardening - environmental policy - education - ecosystem management Key Concepts Botany social structure hierarchy Questions to Reflect On - How does viewing nature as a democracy affect our environmental ethics? - Can we apply this view to human societies? A Different Perspective Plants do have subtle competitive interactions that can be seen as hierarchical. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animal kingdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal-kingdom/) [Bases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bases/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Former](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/former/) [Highs and lows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/highs-and-lows/) [Kingdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kingdom/) [Kingdoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kingdoms/) [Lows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lows/) [Philosophical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophical/) [Philosophical Basis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophical-basis-5963533/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Puzzling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puzzling/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Vegetable Kingdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegetable-kingdom-1430296/) [Vegetables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegetables/) [Views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/views/) [Wealth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealth/) ## Related quotes > [Non-violence is the policy of the vegetable kingdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/non-violence-is-the-policy-of-the-vegetable-kingdom/) [H. 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It died a royal death with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-gray/this-view-as-a-rounded-whole-and-in-all-its-essential-elements-has/) [Asa Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-gray/) > [Faith in order, which is the basis of science, cannot reasonably be separated from faith in an Ordainer, which is the basis of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-gray/faith-in-order-which-is-the-basis-of-science-cannot-reasonably-be/) [Asa Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-gray/) > [Indeed upon much that may have to say, I expect rather the charitable judgment than the full assent of those whose approbation I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-gray/indeed-upon-much-that-may-have-to-say-i-expect-rather-the-charitable/) [Asa Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-gray/) > [But it was soon ascertained that this quaternary matter of the animal body was chemically the same in the plant, was elaborated there, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-gray/but-it-was-soon-ascertained-that-this-quaternary-matter-of-the-animal/) [Asa Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-gray/) > [Next it was found that it was physiologically and structurally the same in the plant, that it was the living part of the plant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-gray/next-it-was-found-that-it-was-physiologically-and-structurally-the/) [Asa Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-gray/) > [There is a class, moreover, by whom all these scientific theories, and more are held as ascertained facts, and as the basis of philosophical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-gray/there-is-a-class-moreover-by-whom-all-these-scientific-theories-and/) [Asa Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-gray/) > [“Perhaps if zoologists would contemplate the wide variations presented by many plants of indubitably one and the same species, and the still wider diversities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-gray/perhaps-if-zoologists-would-contemplate-the-wide-variations-presented/) [Asa Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-gray/) [Explore all 31 Asa Gray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-gray/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. 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He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? 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It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We have really, that I know of, no philosophical basis for high and low. Moreover, the vegetable kingdom does not culminate, as the animal kingdom does. 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