--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Science and religion are the two most…" description: "\"Science and religion are the two most powerful forces in the world. Having them at odds... is not productive.\" — E. O. Wilson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a86/e-o-wilson-1348_force_science-and-religion-are-the-two-most-po_2055587.png" --- # Science and religion are the two most powerful forces in… ![“Science and religion are the two most powerful forces in the world. Having them at odds... is not productive.” quote by E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a86/e-o-wilson-1348_force_science-and-religion-are-the-two-most-po_2055587.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a86/e-o-wilson-1348_force_science-and-religion-are-the-two-most-po_2055587.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a86/e-o-wilson-1348_force_science-and-religion-are-the-two-most-po_2055587.png) > “Science and religion are the two most powerful forces in the world. Having them at odds... is not productive.” [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science and religion are powerful but when opposed they hinder progress; collaboration is needed. **In simple terms:** Science and faith clash, harming progress. Key Takeaway Seek common ground. Themes science religion dialogue Mood thoughtful hopeful Type inspirational analytical When to use this quote - policy making - education curricula - public debates - interfaith initiatives Key Concepts epistemology ethics collaboration Questions to Reflect On - How can we bridge scientific and religious perspectives? - What benefits arise from their cooperation? A Different Perspective Deep differences may resist reconciliation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Forces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forces/) [Most powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most-powerful/) [Odds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odds/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Powerful Forces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful-forces-456309/) [Productive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productive/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-powerful-1586543/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science and religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-and-religion/) [Science religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-religion/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Science and religion are not at odds. Science is simply too young to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/science-and-religion-are-not-at-odds-science-is-simply-too-young-to/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“Intention is one of the most powerful forces there is. What you mean when you do a thing will always determine the outcome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenna-yovanoff/intention-is-one-of-the-most-powerful-forces-there-is-what-you-mean-2/) [Brenna Yovanoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenna-yovanoff/) > [The Queen is by much the most powerful of the forces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-staunton/the-queen-is-by-much-the-most-powerful-of-the-forces/) [Howard Staunton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-staunton/) > [The very idea that there is some kind of conflict between science and religion is completely mistaken. Science is a method for investigating experience...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carroll-quigley/the-very-idea-that-there-is-some-kind-of-conflict-between-science-and/) [Carroll Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carroll-quigley/) > [“There is a massive, irreconcilable conflict between science and religion. Religion was humanity's original cosmology, biology and anthropology. It provided explanations for the origin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anderson-thomson-jr/there-is-a-massive-irreconcilable-conflict-between-science-and/) [J. Anderson Thomson Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anderson-thomson-jr/) > [Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion go hand in hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/fear-is-the-parent-of-cruelty-and-therefore-it-is-no-wonder-if/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“Science and religion both make claims about the fundamental workings of the universe. 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The integration of science and religion? Or have I just written a clever book that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/is-this-a-topic-whose-time-has-truly-come-the-integration-of-science/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Science and religion will meet and shake hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/science-and-religion-will-meet-and-shake-hands/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/with-or-without-religion-you-would-have-good-people-doing-good-things/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [To claim that science and religion pose different questions to the world is not to suggest that if the bones of Jesus were discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/to-claim-that-science-and-religion-pose-different-questions-to-the/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) ## 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/) [Explore all 253 E. O. Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) ## More Force quotes > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [Above Coblentz almost every mountain has a ruin and a legend. One feels everywhere the spirit of the past, and its stirring recollections come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-taylor/above-coblentz-almost-every-mountain-has-a-ruin-and-a-legend-one/) [Bayard Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-taylor/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. 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