--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...from schools to universities to…" description: "\"...from schools to universities to research institutes, we teach about origins in disconnected fragments. We seem incapable of offering a unified accou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/david-christian-7861_accounts_from-schools-to-universities-to-research_2535666.jpg" --- # ...from schools to universities to research institutes, we… ![“...from schools to universities to research institutes, we teach about origins in disconnected fragments. We seem incapable of offering a unified account of how things came to be the way they are.” quote by David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/david-christian-7861_accounts_from-schools-to-universities-to-research_2535666.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/david-christian-7861_accounts_from-schools-to-universities-to-research_2535666.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/david-christian-7861_accounts_from-schools-to-universities-to-research_2535666.jpg) > “...from schools to universities to research institutes, we teach about origins in disconnected fragments. We seem incapable of offering a unified account of how things came to be the way they are.” [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Education fragments origins, lacking a unified narrative of existence. **In simple terms:** Teaching origins in pieces, not as a whole. Key Takeaway Integrate interdisciplinary perspectives for cohesion. Themes education history interdisciplinarity Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - school curricula - museum exhibits - public talks Key Concepts systems thinking cosmology Questions to Reflect On - How can we simplify without losing depth? - What connections can you draw across fields? A Different Perspective Complexity may overwhelm learners. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accounts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/) [Disconnected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disconnected/) [Disconnected Fragments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disconnected-fragments-1386027/) [Fragments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fragments/) [Incapable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incapable/) [Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institute/) [Institutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutes/) [Offering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offering/) [Origins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/origins/) [Origins Disconnected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/origins-disconnected-1386026/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Teach Origins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach-origins-1386025/) [Unified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unified/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Maps of Time attempts to assemble a coherent and accessible account of origins, a modern creation myth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/maps-of-time-attempts-to-assemble-a-coherent-and-accessible-account/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [So many people around the world have used nonviolence as a way to resolve a conflict that they faced in their lives. And they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arun-manilal-gandhi/so-many-people-around-the-world-have-used-nonviolence-as-a-way-to/) [Arun Manilal Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arun-manilal-gandhi/) > [Carpe diem. (Seize the day.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/carpe-diem-seize-the-day/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/a-census-taker-once-tried-to-test-me-i-ate-his-liver-with-some-fava/) [Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/) > [Christian churches and Muslim groups have no more right to have their say than women's institutes or trades unions. The government has actively encouraged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/christian-churches-and-muslim-groups-have-no-more-right-to-have-their/) [A.C. Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-grayling/) > [I account the office of benefactor, or almoner, to which God appoints all those whom he has favored with wealth, one of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-holland/i-account-the-office-of-benefactor-or-almoner-to-which-god-appoints/) [J. G. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-holland/) > [The field of U.S. cancer care is organized around a medical monopoly that ensures a continuous flow of money to the pharmaceutical companies, medical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-diamond/the-field-of-u-s-cancer-care-is-organized-around-a-medical-monopoly/) [John Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-diamond/) > [Ruling elite have think tanks, they have research institutes, they've invaded universities, they've monopolized the cultural apparatuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/ruling-elite-have-think-tanks-they-have-research-institutes-they-ve/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [Educational institutes can no longer be prizes in church politics or furnish berths for failure in other walks of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-franklin-frazier/educational-institutes-can-no-longer-be-prizes-in-church-politics-or/) [E. Franklin Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-franklin-frazier/) > [Industry and institutes need to build smarter linkages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/industry-and-institutes-need-to-build-smarter-linkages/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ There is another domain that we consider relevant and having good prospects - marine biology. For many years this region \[Russian Far East\] has… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/there-is-another-domain-that-we-consider-relevant-and-having-good/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [I've found out that money is the most important thing in the world and, as God is my witness, I don't ever intend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/i-ve-found-out-that-money-is-the-most-important-thing-in-the-world/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [The sciences of today are business enterprises run on business principles. Research in large institutes is not guided by Truth and Reason but by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/the-sciences-of-today-are-business-enterprises-run-on-business/) [Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/) > [I think everyone who has an interest in Reformed theology, or just in Christian theology more generally, should read John Calvin Institutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/i-think-everyone-who-has-an-interest-in-reformed-theology-or-just-in/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [Avant-garde means never having to say you're sorry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ribot/avant-garde-means-never-having-to-say-you-re-sorry/) [Marc Ribot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ribot/) ## More by David Christian > [“It was possible to borrow British technology, and increasingly governments began to promote development. By the end of the nineteenth century, governments and large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/it-was-possible-to-borrow-british-technology-and-increasingly/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [“the conquests of the Achaemenid and Hellenistic dynasties encouraged commercial and intellectual exchanges reaching from central Asia to India to the western Mediterranean. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/the-conquests-of-the-achaemenid-and-hellenistic-dynasties-encouraged/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [“So, as networks expand in size, their potential intellectual synergy increases much faster: “larger and denser populations equal faster technological advance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/so-as-networks-expand-in-size-their-potential-intellectual-synergy/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [“typical modern households live in urban environments where they earn incomes through some form of wage work and buy food produced by others. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/typical-modern-households-live-in-urban-environments-where-they-earn/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [“no complex, nonlinear system can be adequately described by dividing it up into subsystems or into various aspects, defined beforehand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/no-complex-nonlinear-system-can-be-adequately-described-by-dividing/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [Every kid goes to school full of questions about meaning. You know, 'What's my place in the universe? What does it mean to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/every-kid-goes-to-school-full-of-questions-about-meaning-you-know/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [“Both animal and human slaves could be controlled best if kept economically and psychically dependent on their owners.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/both-animal-and-human-slaves-could-be-controlled-best-if-kept/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [“The modern world is ruled by larger and more impersonal forces, from faceless bureaucracies to abstractions such as “inflation,” or “the rule of law.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/the-modern-world-is-ruled-by-larger-and-more-impersonal-forces-from/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [“contain into new, durable configurations, which can handle huge energy flows without disintegrating. This, we will see, is the characteristic pattern of all such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/contain-into-new-durable-configurations-which-can-handle-huge-energy/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [We, as extremely complex creatures, desperately need to know this story of how the universe creates complexity and why complexity means vulnerability and fragility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/we-as-extremely-complex-creatures-desperately-need-to-know-this-story/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [If, in schools, we keep teaching that history is divided into American history and Chinese history and Russian history and Australian history, we're teaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/if-in-schools-we-keep-teaching-that-history-is-divided-into-american/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [An egg is a beautiful, sophisticated thing that can create even more sophisticated things, such as chickens. And we know in our heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/an-egg-is-a-beautiful-sophisticated-thing-that-can-create-even-more/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [“Earth, for example, is made up of oxygen (almost 50 percent) and smaller amounts of iron (19 percent), silicon (14 percent), magnesium (12.5 percent),”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/earth-for-example-is-made-up-of-oxygen-almost-50-percent-and-smaller/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [“most of human history (chronologically speaking) has taken place in communities quite innocent of state power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/most-of-human-history-chronologically-speaking-has-taken-place-in/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) > [“what we can see may constitute no more than 10 percent, and perhaps as little as 1 percent, of the matter in the universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/what-we-can-see-may-constitute-no-more-than-10-percent-and-perhaps-as/) [David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) [Explore all 86 David Christian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/) ## More Accounts quotes > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/) [Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/) > [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/you-ve-got-to-exercise-your-health-account-your-bank-account-they-re/) [Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/) [Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/) > [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. 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