--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The traditional view of purpose says it…" description: "\"The traditional view of purpose says it comes from on high, from God, from the Creator. Darwin's idea of natural selection makes people uncomfortable b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/daniel-dennett-3895_bottom_the-traditional-view-of-purpose-says-it_405452.jpg" --- # The traditional view of purpose says it comes from on… ![“The traditional view of purpose says it comes from on high, from God, from the Creator. Darwin's idea of natural selection makes people uncomfortable because it reverses the direction of tradition. Whereas people used to think of meaning coming from on high and being ordained from the top down…” quote by Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/daniel-dennett-3895_bottom_the-traditional-view-of-purpose-says-it_405452.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/daniel-dennett-3895_bottom_the-traditional-view-of-purpose-says-it_405452.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/daniel-dennett-3895_bottom_the-traditional-view-of-purpose-says-it_405452.jpg) > “The traditional view of purpose says it comes from on high, from God, from the Creator. Darwin's idea of natural selection makes people uncomfortable because it reverses the direction of tradition. Whereas people used to think of meaning coming from on high and being ordained from the top down, now we have Darwin saying, "No, all of this design can happen, all of this purpose can emerge from the bottom up without any direction at all."” [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Darwinian evolution suggests purpose can arise without a divine source, challenging traditional top‑down views of meaning. **In simple terms:** Purpose can emerge from natural processes, not just from a higher power. Key Takeaway Consider bottom‑up origins of meaning. Themes philosophy science religion meaning purpose Mood skeptical inquisitive Type philosophical theoretical When to use this quote - education - public debate - personal belief - ethical decision‑making - cultural analysis Key Concepts natural selection emergent order existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports emergent purpose? A Different Perspective Some argue that without a higher authority, purpose feels arbitrary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bottom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom/) [Creator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creator/) [Creator Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creator-darwin-3625749/) [Darwin Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darwin-idea-1891255/) [Darwin Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darwin-saying-3625747/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Natural selection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-selection/) [Ordained Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordained-darwin-3625748/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Reverse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverse/) [Saying no](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-no/) [Selection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selection/) [Think of me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-of-me/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Top down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/top-down/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) [Traditional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traditional/) [Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/views/) ## Related quotes > [If I were to give a prize for the single best idea anybody ever had, I'd give it to Darwin for the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/if-i-were-to-give-a-prize-for-the-single-best-idea-anybody-ever-had-i/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Darwin's idea of natural selection makes people uncomfortable because it reverses the direction of tradition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/darwin-s-idea-of-natural-selection-makes-people-uncomfortable-because/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [People still don't get how astounding Darwinism is. 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Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/optimization-hinders-evolution-everything-should-be-built-top-down/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [ He's \[Louis Brandais\] so suspicious of bigness in government as well as business that he mistrusts even really top-down reforms at the state level.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-rosen/he-s-louis-brandais-so-suspicious-of-bigness-in-government-as-well-as/) [Jeffrey Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-rosen/) > [I was elected because I believed in what we call "grassroots politics," politics from the bottom up, not the top down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-was-elected-because-i-believed-in-what-we-call-grassroots-politics/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [It's always hard for me to find a therapist who is a black woman or even a woman of color. 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Nothing had a purpose, nothing has so much as a function; there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/in-the-beginning-there-were-no-reasons-there-were-only-causes-nothing/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [I look around the world and see so many wonderful things that I love and enjoy and benefit from, whether it's art or music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/i-look-around-the-world-and-see-so-many-wonderful-things-that-i-love/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [In all mammalian species that have so far been carefully studied, the rate at which their members engage in the killing of conspecifics is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/in-all-mammalian-species-that-have-so-far-been-carefully-studied-the/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Cults and prophets proclaiming the imminent end of the world have been with us for several millennia, and it has been another sour sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/cults-and-prophets-proclaiming-the-imminent-end-of-the-world-have/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Consciousness is cerebral celebrity--nothing more and nothing less. 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