Accidents Quote by George Bernard Shaw
“You can be a thorough-going Neo-Darwinian without imagination, metaphysics, poetry, conscience, or decency. For 'Natural Selection' has no moral significance: it deals with that part of evolution which has no purpose, no intelligence, and might more appropriately be called accidental selection, or better still, Unnatural Selection, since nothing is more unnatural than an accident. If it could be proved that the whole universe had been produced by such Selection, only fools and rascals could bear to live.”
About This Quote
Source Play: Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw, 1903
Natural selection describes biological change without moral purpose; attributing ethics to it is a category error.
In simple terms: Evolution is amoral; don’t moralize it.
Key Takeaway
Separate scientific facts from moral judgments.
Themes
science
ethics
misinterpretation
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
educational
When to use this quote
- education
- public policy
- media commentary
- debates on AI ethics
Key Concepts
natural selection
moral philosophy
reductionism
Questions to Reflect On
- Should scientific explanations be used to justify moral positions?
- How can we discuss evolution responsibly?
A Different Perspective
Oversimplifying evolution can ignore its complexity and social implications.
