---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In literature classes, you don't learn…"
description: "\"In literature classes, you don't learn about genes; in physics classes you don't learn about human evolution. So you get a fragmented view of the world..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/david-christian-7861_about_in-literature-classes-you-don-t-learn-ab_1934788.jpg"
---

#  In literature classes, you don't learn about genes; in…

![“In literature classes, you don't learn about genes; in physics classes you don't learn about human evolution. So you get a fragmented view of the world. That makes it hard to find meaning in education.” quote by David Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/david-christian-7861_about_in-literature-classes-you-don-t-learn-ab_1934788.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/david-christian-7861_about_in-literature-classes-you-don-t-learn-ab_1934788.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/david-christian-7861_about_in-literature-classes-you-don-t-learn-ab_1934788.jpg)

> “In literature classes, you don't learn about genes; in physics classes you don't learn about human evolution. So you get a fragmented view of the world. That makes it hard to find meaning in education.”

[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 is compartmentalized, preventing holistic understanding and meaning.

**In simple terms:** Separate subjects hinder seeing the whole picture.

Key Takeaway

Seek integrative learning across disciplines.

Themes

education interdisciplinary meaning fragmentation

Mood

reflective inquisitive

Type

analytical inspirational

When to use this quote

- curriculum design
- personal learning plans
- cross‑disciplinary projects
- interdisciplinary research

Key Concepts

systems thinking holistic education knowledge integration

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you connect concepts from different fields?
- What interdisciplinary links could you explore?

A Different Perspective

Integration can be limited by institutional structures and entrenched curricula.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Biology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biology/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Classes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classes/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Evolution Fragmented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution-fragmented-3048828/) [Find](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/find/) [Fragmented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fragmented/) [Genes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genes/) [Genes Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genes-physics-3048825/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-evolution/) [Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Literature Classes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-classes-3038550/) [Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes/) [Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning/) [Meaning Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning-education-3048826/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Physics Classes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics-classes-3048827/) [View](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/view/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/)

## Related quotes

> [Any time we are answer-driven rather than idea driven, we have lost the true meaning of education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/any-time-we-are-answer-driven-rather-than-idea-driven-we-have-lost/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [The canker has so eaten into the society that in many cases the only meaning of education is a knowledge of English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-canker-has-so-eaten-into-the-society-that-in-many-cases-the-only/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [I was always drawn to teachers who made class interesting. In high school, I enjoyed my American and English literature classes because my teachers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ochoa/i-was-always-drawn-to-teachers-who-made-class-interesting-in-high/)

[Ellen Ochoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ochoa/)

> [I have always enjoyed literature classes, and I took a fiction workshop for writing and analyzing at Curtis... I don't know if would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-hahn/i-have-always-enjoyed-literature-classes-and-i-took-a-fiction/)

[Hilary Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-hahn/)

> [Forget the Bible, the greatest argument against human evolution is a YouTube comment thread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-fahey/forget-the-bible-the-greatest-argument-against-human-evolution-is-a/)

[Damien Fahey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-fahey/)

> [“Advances in technology can be empowering, progressive and enriching. History has shown this across civilisations and societies. But it has also shown, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rasheed-ogunlaru/advances-in-technology-can-be-empowering-progressive-and-enriching/)

[Rasheed Ogunlaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rasheed-ogunlaru/)

> [It is my idea to make capitalism create socialism in China so that these two economic forces of human evolution will work side by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-yat-sen/it-is-my-idea-to-make-capitalism-create-socialism-in-china-so-that/)

[Sun Yat-sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-yat-sen/)

> [“In the forests man has always deteriorated; human evolution has made progress only in the open and in the higher latitudes. The cold and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/urantia-foundation/in-the-forests-man-has-always-deteriorated-human-evolution-has-made/)

[Urantia Foundation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/urantia-foundation/)

> [“I beg you to see this in the right light, and to combine it with the feeling about what happened through the Mystery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-steiner/i-beg-you-to-see-this-in-the-right-light-and-to-combine-it-with-the/)

[Rudolf Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-steiner/)

> [The greatest step forward in human evolution was made when society began to help the weak and the poor, instead of oppressing and despising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-greatest-step-forward-in-human-evolution-was-made-when-society/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [“The envisaged self is the next stage in human evolution, and it will be born explicitly from the refusion of experienced spirit and experienced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-sj/the-envisaged-self-is-the-next-stage-in-human-evolution-and-it-will/)

[Monica Sjöö](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-sj/)

> [It is fashionable to wax apocalyptic about the threat to humanity posed by the AIDS virus, "mad cow" disease, and many others, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/it-is-fashionable-to-wax-apocalyptic-about-the-threat-to-humanity/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [“Pleasure is a reward, given to the human system by evolution in return for services rendered to the preservation and increase of the species.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/pleasure-is-a-reward-given-to-the-human-system-by-evolution-in-return/)

[Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/)

> [I sometimes try to imagine what would have happened if we’d known the bonobo first and the chimpanzee only later—or not at all. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/i-sometimes-try-to-imagine-what-would-have-happened-if-we-d-known-the/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [“As a special branch of general philosophy, pathogenesis had never been explored. In my opinion it had never been approached in a strictly scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-cendrars/as-a-special-branch-of-general-philosophy-pathogenesis-had-never-been/)

[Blaise Cendrars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-cendrars/)

## 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 About quotes

> [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/)

[Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/)

> [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/)

[Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/)

> [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/)

[Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/)

> [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/)

[Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/)

> [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/)

[Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/)

> [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/)

[Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/)

> [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/)

[Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/)

> [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/)

[Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/)

> [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/)

[Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/)

> [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/)

[Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/)

> [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/)

[Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/)

> [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/)

[Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/)

> [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

> [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/)

[Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/)

[Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In literature classes, you don't learn about genes; in physics classes you don't learn about human evolution. So you get a fragmented view of the world. That makes it hard to find meaning in education.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Christian"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/in-literature-classes-you-don-t-learn-about-genes-in-physics-classes/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "About"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/in-literature-classes-you-don-t-learn-about-genes-in-physics-classes/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/david-christian-7861_about_in-literature-classes-you-don-t-learn-ab_1934788.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/david-christian-7861_about_in-literature-classes-you-don-t-learn-ab_1934788.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/david-christian-7861_about_in-literature-classes-you-don-t-learn-ab_1934788.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In literature classes, you don't learn about genes; in physics classes you don't learn about human…” — David Christian",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "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": "David Christian",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-christian/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In literature classes, you don't learn...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/in-literature-classes-you-don-t-learn-about-genes-in-physics-classes/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-christian/in-literature-classes-you-don-t-learn-about-genes-in-physics-classes/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
