Evolution Quote by Harriet Martineau
“His subject is the "Origin of Species," & not the origin of Organization; & it seems a needless mischief to have opened the latter speculation at all.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: "The Social System", 1845
Biology and social organization are distinct; conflating them leads to flawed analysis.
In simple terms: Science of life differs from social theory.
Key Takeaway
Separate biological and social study.
Themes
science
society
methodology
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
academic
When to use this quote
- academic research
- policy analysis
- education
- public discourse
Key Concepts
taxonomy
social theory
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we respect differences between natural and social sciences?
- When is integration appropriate?
A Different Perspective
Interdisciplinary work can blur boundaries.
![“When it was first said that the sun stood still and world turned round, the common sense of mankind declared the doctrine false; but the old saying of Vox populi, vox Dei [the voice of the people is the voice of God], as every philosopher knows, cannot be trusted in science.” quote by Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5f6/charles-darwin-507_agnosticism_when-it-was-first-said-that-the-sun-stoo_226722.jpg)
![“[I] wish that the land-tax went a little more according to situation than it does. 'Tis really ridiculous, how one has to pay five times as much as another, without any reason that ever I heard tell.” quote by Harriet Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7a0/harriet-martineau-6736_doe_i-wish-that-the-land-tax-went-a-little-m_297758.jpg)
![“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)
