Boeing Quote by Fred Hoyle
“The chance that higher life forms might have emerged through evolutionary processes is comparable with the chance that a tornado sweeping through a junk yard might assemble a Boeing 747 from the material therein.”
About This Quote
Source Lecture: Evolutionary Biology, 1970
The odds of life forming by evolution are as unlikely as a tornado building a jet from junk.
In simple terms: Evolutionary chance is extremely low.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions about natural complexity.
Themes
probability
complexity
evolutionary theory
Mood
skeptical
inquisitive
Type
scientific
philosophical
When to use this quote
- scientific debate
- education
- public policy
- skepticism
Key Concepts
randomness
design arguments
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence supports gradual complexity?
- How do we measure improbable events?
A Different Perspective
Critics argue the analogy oversimplifies natural processes.
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![“One [idea] was that the Universe started its life a finite time ago in a single huge explosion, and that the present expansion is a relic of the violence of this explosion. This big bang idea seemed to me to be unsatisfactory even before detailed examination showed that it leads to serious…” quote by Fred Hoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6ef/fred-hoyle-11367_bangs_one-idea-was-that-the-universe-started-i_184196.jpg)
![“Earlier theories ... were based on the hypothesis that all the matter in the universe was created in one big bang at a particular time in the remote past. [Coining the "big bang" expression.]” quote by Fred Hoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e64/fred-hoyle-11367_bangs_earlier-theories-were-based-on-the-hypot_791698.jpg)
![“I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests with ZERO-G [a charter-flight service in Arlington, Va., that uses modified Boeing 727s to simulate weightlessness], which went great.” quote by Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aa1/richard-branson-256_adventure_i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-repl_903.jpg)
![“We [India in 70s] certainly were capable of producing eight to ten bombs, at a cost of about $250,000 each; and we had Boeing 707s to deliver them if we needed it, so I think we had a crude capability already at that time.” quote by Subramanian Swamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/870/subramanian-swamy-4837_boeing_we-india-in-70s-certainly-were-capable-o_461890.jpg)
