Evolution Quote by Elizabeth Kolbert
““The Neanderthals lived in Europe for more than a hundred thousand years and during that period they had no more impact on their surroundings than any other large vertebrate. There is every reason to believe that if humans had not arrived on the scene, the Neanderthals would be there still, along with the wild horses and the wooly rhinos. With the capacity to represent the world in signs and symbols comes the capacity to change it, which, as it happens, is also the capacity to destroy it.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert, 2014
Human symbolic thought enables both creation and destruction of environments, unlike other large animals.
In simple terms: Humans can change the world with symbols, for good or bad.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the power of symbols and act responsibly.
Themes
environment
human impact
symbolic cognition
extinction
technology
Mood
concerned
reflective
urgent
Type
philosophical
environmental
When to use this quote
- policy making
- education
- conservation
- urban planning
- technology development
Key Concepts
cultural evolution
anthropocene
ecology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do symbols shape our actions toward nature?
- What responsibilities come with this power?
A Different Perspective
Symbolic power can be misused, leading to irreversible damage.
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
