---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is the theory that all the living…"
description: "\"There is the theory that all the living forms in the world have arisen from a single source which itself came from an inorganic form. This theory can b..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/gerald-a-kerkut-239718_biology_there-is-the-theory-that-all-the-living_2762515.png"
---

#  There is the theory that all the living forms in the world…

![“There is the theory that all the living forms in the world have arisen from a single source which itself came from an inorganic form. This theory can be called the 'general theory of evolution,' and the evidence which supports this is not sufficiently strong to allow us to consider it as anything…” quote by Gerald A. Kerkut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/gerald-a-kerkut-239718_biology_there-is-the-theory-that-all-the-living_2762515.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/gerald-a-kerkut-239718_biology_there-is-the-theory-that-all-the-living_2762515.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/gerald-a-kerkut-239718_biology_there-is-the-theory-that-all-the-living_2762515.png)

> “There is the theory that all the living forms in the world have arisen from a single source which itself came from an inorganic form. This theory can be called the 'general theory of evolution,' and the evidence which supports this is not sufficiently strong to allow us to consider it as anything more than a working hypothesis.”

Gerald A. Kerkut

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The general theory of evolution is a working hypothesis, lacking sufficient evidence to be deemed conclusive.

**In simple terms:** Evolution is a hypothesis, not proven.

Key Takeaway

Treat evolution as provisional theory.

Themes

science theory evidence

Mood

analytical philosophical

Type

Biology:1 Evidence:1 Evolution:1 Form:0 Hypothesis:1 Life:0 Source:0 Strong:0 Support:0 Theory:1 Theory of evolution:1 World:0 General Theory:0 Evolution Evidence:0 Theory Called:0 Form Theory:0

Key Concepts

biology philosophy of science critical thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- skeptical
- inquisitive

A Different Perspective

What evidence would convince you?;How do you handle provisional theories?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Biology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biology/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Theory of evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory-of-evolution/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [“In film theory, it’s called the Kuleshov Effect. A blank expression taking on whatever emotion the context implies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-shaw/in-film-theory-it-s-called-the-kuleshov-effect-a-blank-expression/)

[Johnny Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-shaw/)

> [“Dawkins claims that the living world came to be by way of unguided evolution: “the Evidence of Evolution,” he says, “Reveals a Universe Without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-plantinga/dawkins-claims-that-the-living-world-came-to-be-by-way-of-unguided/)

[Alvin Plantinga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-plantinga/)

> [The main thing to understand about the current state of physics is that we have - are in some sense, a kind of victim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-woit/the-main-thing-to-understand-about-the-current-state-of-physics-is/)

[Peter Woit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-woit/)

> [You cannot be both sane and well educated and disbelieve in evolution. The evidence is so strong that any sane, educated person has got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/you-cannot-be-both-sane-and-well-educated-and-disbelieve-in-evolution/)

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

> [To be sure, Darwin's theory of evolution is imperfect. However, the fact that a scientific theory cannot yet render an explanation on every point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-jones/to-be-sure-darwin-s-theory-of-evolution-is-imperfect-however-the-fact/)

[Jon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-jones/)

> [ Today, almost half a century after the publication of the Encyclical \[of Pius IX\], new knowledge has led to the recognition in the theory… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/today-almost-half-a-century-after-the-publication-of-the-encyclical/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [“General Theory of Relativity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-vickers/general-theory-of-relativity/)

[Lee Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-vickers/)

> [“Insofar as the general theory of relativity follows Mach's ideas, it can be seen as expressing the distribution of masses in terms of properties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-genz/insofar-as-the-general-theory-of-relativity-follows-mach-s-ideas-it/)

[Henning Genz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-genz/)

> [To look for a single general theory of how to decide the right thing to do is like looking for a single theory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/to-look-for-a-single-general-theory-of-how-to-decide-the-right-thing/)

[Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/)

> [One of the main successes of string theory is that it has been able to unify the general theory of relativity, which describes gravity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashoke-sen/one-of-the-main-successes-of-string-theory-is-that-it-has-been-able/)

[Ashoke Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashoke-sen/)

> [We lay down a fundamental principle of generalization by abstraction: The existence of analogies between central features of various theories implies the existence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-h-moore/we-lay-down-a-fundamental-principle-of-generalization-by-abstraction/)

E. H. Moore

> [“a general theory of strategy must, I believe, be a theory of power in all its forms, not just a theory of military power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-wylie/a-general-theory-of-strategy-must-i-believe-be-a-theory-of-power-in/)

[J.C. Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-wylie/)

> [“If we examine the four major limited theories of strategy—the continental, the maritime, the air and the Mao theories—and add to them the broader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-wylie/if-we-examine-the-four-major-limited-theories-of-strategy-the/)

[J.C. Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-wylie/)

> [In my personal experience I have hardly come to know the wretchedness of mankind better than as a result of the general theory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/in-my-personal-experience-i-have-hardly-come-to-know-the-wretchedness/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [“However we select from nature a complex (of phenomena) using the criterion of simplicity, in no case will its theoretical treatment turn out to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/however-we-select-from-nature-a-complex-of-phenomena-using-the-2/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

## More Biology quotes

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [“Genetics is a science full of gods, Mr. Sanchez.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valeria-luiselli/genetics-is-a-science-full-of-gods-mr-sanchez/)

[Valeria Luiselli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valeria-luiselli/)

> [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/)

[Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/)

> [Evolution happens in jumps, very rapidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/evolution-happens-in-jumps-very-rapidly/)

[Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/)

> [“Toshiaki learned that all living organisms were governed by their DNA. He was impressed by perfection of this system.Why did existence have the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideaki-sena/toshiaki-learned-that-all-living-organisms-were-governed-by-their-dna/)

Hideaki Sena

> [I'm all about evolution. I'm the first person to judge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-weeknd/i-m-all-about-evolution-i-m-the-first-person-to-judge-myself/)

[The Weeknd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-weeknd/)

> [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spottiswoode/i-think-the-ethics-and-morals-of-genetic-engineering-are-very/)

[Roger Spottiswoode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spottiswoode/)

> [Biochemists and biologists who adhere blindly to the Darwinism theory search for results that will be in agreement with their theories and consequently orient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/biochemists-and-biologists-who-adhere-blindly-to-the-darwinism-theory/)

[Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/)

> [“A note of caution: epigenetics is also on the verge of transforming into a dangerous idea. Epigenetic modifications of genes can potentially superpose historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/a-note-of-caution-epigenetics-is-also-on-the-verge-of-transforming/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [Natural history is not taught in seminary. This is curious, as most people in pastoral ministry are about 567 times more likely to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/natural-history-is-not-taught-in-seminary-this-is-curious-as-most/)

[Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/)

> [We are coming to a place where the road ends. From here on out, we will be making the road as we walk it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-atlee/we-are-coming-to-a-place-where-the-road-ends-from-here-on-out-we-will/)

Tom Atlee

> [I've always been interested in medicine and was pleased when my brother became a doctor. But after thinking seriously about that field, I realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-medicine-and-was-pleased-when-my/)

[Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/)

> [Evolution... is the most powerful and the most comprehensive idea that has ever arisen on Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/evolution-is-the-most-powerful-and-the-most-comprehensive-idea-that/)

[Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/)

> [History employs evolution to structure biological events in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/history-employs-evolution-to-structure-biological-events-in-time/)

[Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/)

[Browse all 3,034 Biology quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biology/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There is the theory that all the living forms in the world have arisen from a single source which itself came from an inorganic form. This theory can be called the 'general theory of evolution,' and the evidence which supports this is not sufficiently strong to allow us to consider it as anything more than a working hypothesis.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gerald A. Kerkut"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-a-kerkut/there-is-the-theory-that-all-the-living-forms-in-the-world-have/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Biology"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-a-kerkut/there-is-the-theory-that-all-the-living-forms-in-the-world-have/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/gerald-a-kerkut-239718_biology_there-is-the-theory-that-all-the-living_2762515.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/gerald-a-kerkut-239718_biology_there-is-the-theory-that-all-the-living_2762515.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/323/gerald-a-kerkut-239718_biology_there-is-the-theory-that-all-the-living_2762515.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There is the theory that all the living forms in the world have arisen from a single source which itself…” — Gerald A. Kerkut",
                "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": "Gerald A. Kerkut",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-a-kerkut/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There is the theory that all...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-a-kerkut/there-is-the-theory-that-all-the-living-forms-in-the-world-have/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-a-kerkut/there-is-the-theory-that-all-the-living-forms-in-the-world-have/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
