--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sex was invented as a biological…" description: "\"Sex was invented as a biological instrument by (say) the green algae. But as an instrument in the ascent of man which is basic to his cultural evolutio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/723/jacob-bronowski-3073_algae_sex-was-invented-as-a-biological-instrum_2076820.jpg" --- # Sex was invented as a biological instrument by (say) the… ![“Sex was invented as a biological instrument by (say) the green algae. But as an instrument in the ascent of man which is basic to his cultural evolution, it was invented by man himself.” quote by Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/723/jacob-bronowski-3073_algae_sex-was-invented-as-a-biological-instrum_2076820.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/723/jacob-bronowski-3073_algae_sex-was-invented-as-a-biological-instrum_2076820.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/723/jacob-bronowski-3073_algae_sex-was-invented-as-a-biological-instrum_2076820.jpg) > “Sex was invented as a biological instrument by (say) the green algae. But as an instrument in the ascent of man which is basic to his cultural evolution, it was invented by man himself.” [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sex originated biologically, but its cultural role was created by humanity. **In simple terms:** Biology gave sex; culture gave meaning. Key Takeaway Recognize cultural influences on biology. Themes culture biology evolution Mood thoughtful analytical Type academic philosophical When to use this quote - relationship counseling - education - media analysis - policy making Key Concepts anthropology sexuality human development Questions to Reflect On - How does culture shape your view of sex? - What biological facts are culturally reinterpreted? A Different Perspective Biological facts can be misused to justify cultural norms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Algae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/algae/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Sexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexuality/) ## Related quotes > [External instruments are only extensions of the biological instrument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-lateef/external-instruments-are-only-extensions-of-the-biological-instrument/) [Yusef Lateef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-lateef/) > [“Not only was the theory of evolution not invented by Darwin himself; it wasn’t invented by his Enlightenment predecessors either. It was invented by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/not-only-was-the-theory-of-evolution-not-invented-by-darwin-himself-2/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“Not only was the theory of evolution not invented by Darwin himself; it wasn’t invented by his Enlightenment predecessors either. It was invented by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/not-only-was-the-theory-of-evolution-not-invented-by-darwin-himself/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“She’s so elderly that I’m sure she was alive before sex was invented. She conceived Mick’s Dad by shaking hands with a stork.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-stein/she-s-so-elderly-that-i-m-sure-she-was-alive-before-sex-was-invented/) [Charlotte Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-stein/) > [Sex was invented by God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/sex-was-invented-by-god/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [I came out after safe sex was invented and I always practiced safe sex. Except for when I lost my virginity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-peck/i-came-out-after-safe-sex-was-invented-and-i-always-practiced-safe/) [Dale Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-peck/) > [Until writing was invented, man lived in acoustic space: boundless, directionless, horizonless, in the dark of the mind, in the world of emotion...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/until-writing-was-invented-man-lived-in-acoustic-space-boundless/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/god-made-us-invented-us-as-a-man-invents-an-engine-a-car-is-made-to/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Religion was invented when the first con man met the first fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/religion-was-invented-when-the-first-con-man-met-the-first-fool/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The helicopter is probably the most versatile instrument ever invented by man. It approaches closer than any other to fulfillment of mankind's ancient dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-sikorsky/the-helicopter-is-probably-the-most-versatile-instrument-ever/) [Igor Sikorsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-sikorsky/) > [I believe that our Heavenly Father invented man because he was disappointed in the monkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-believe-that-our-heavenly-father-invented-man-because-he-was-2/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [When God invented man, he wanted him to look like me,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-oldfield/when-god-invented-man-he-wanted-him-to-look-like-me/) Brian Oldfield > [I believe that our Heavenly Father invented man because he was disappointed in the monkey. I believe that whenever a human being, of even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-believe-that-our-heavenly-father-invented-man-because-he-was/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The Gospel is like water; no man invented it, yet no man can live without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhard-bonnke/the-gospel-is-like-water-no-man-invented-it-yet-no-man-can-live/) [Reinhard Bonnke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhard-bonnke/) > [Reflecting an amalgam of economics, monetary, and psychological factors, the stock market represents possibly the most subtly intricate game invented by man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-arnold-epstein/reflecting-an-amalgam-of-economics-monetary-and-psychological-factors/) [Richard Arnold Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-arnold-epstein/) ## More by Jacob Bronowski > [“A man becomes creative, whether he is an artist or a scientist, when he finds a new unity in the variety of nature. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/a-man-becomes-creative-whether-he-is-an-artist-or-a-scientist-when-he/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [We are all shot through with enough motives to make a massacre, any day of the week that we want to give them their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/we-are-all-shot-through-with-enough-motives-to-make-a-massacre-any/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [A popular cliche in philosophy says that science is pure analysis or reductionism, like taking the rainbow to pieces; and art is pure synthesis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/a-popular-cliche-in-philosophy-says-that-science-is-pure-analysis-or/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [The great poem and the deep theorem are new to every reader, and yet are his own experiences, because he himself recreates them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-great-poem-and-the-deep-theorem-are-new-to-every-reader-and-yet/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [“The Renaissance established the dignity of man. The Industrial Revolution established the unity of nature. That”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-renaissance-established-the-dignity-of-man-the-industrial/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [One original thought is worth the sum total of human knowledge, because it advances the sum total of human knowledge by that one original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/one-original-thought-is-worth-the-sum-total-of-human-knowledge/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [The richness of human life is that we have many lives, we live the events that do not happen (and some that cannot) as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-richness-of-human-life-is-that-we-have-many-lives-we-live-the/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [Einstein was a man who could ask immensely simple questions. And what his work showed is that when the answers are simple too, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/einstein-was-a-man-who-could-ask-immensely-simple-questions-and-what/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [Revolutions are not made by fate but by men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/revolutions-are-not-made-by-fate-but-by-men/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [“I am infinitely saddened to find myself suddenly surrounded in the west by a sense of terrible loss of nerve, a retreat from knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/i-am-infinitely-saddened-to-find-myself-suddenly-surrounded-in-the/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [The most remarkable discovery ever made by scientists is science itself. The discovery must be compared in importance with the invention of cave-painting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-most-remarkable-discovery-ever-made-by-scientists-is-science/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [There are three creative ideas which, each in its turn, have been central to science. They are the idea of order, the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/there-are-three-creative-ideas-which-each-in-its-turn-have-been/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [It is important that students bring a certain rafamuffin, barefoot, irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/it-is-important-that-students-bring-a-certain-rafamuffin-barefoot/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [The hand is the cutting edge of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-hand-is-the-cutting-edge-of-the-mind/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [To me the most interesting thing about man is that he is an animal who practices art and science and in every known society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/to-me-the-most-interesting-thing-about-man-is-that-he-is-an-animal/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) [Explore all 140 Jacob Bronowski quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) ## More Algae quotes > [I wrote a song at age five about algae on the pond by our house, then the next 'real' song was in fifth grade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-salpeter/i-wrote-a-song-at-age-five-about-algae-on-the-pond-by-our-house-then/) [Greta Salpeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-salpeter/) > [Sloths actually are like furry living ecosystems all by themselves! Algae grows on their fur and they are also home to "sloth moths" who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-burton/sloths-actually-are-like-furry-living-ecosystems-all-by-themselves/) [Ann Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-burton/) > [We’re making new investments in the development of gasoline and diesel and jet fuel that’s actually made from a plant-like substance-algae... We could replace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-re-making-new-investments-in-the-development-of-gasoline-and/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Algae are such basic, simple organisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/algae-are-such-basic-simple-organisms/) [Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/) > [“If certain bacteria, fungi, or algae inch across something made of copper, they absorb copper atoms, which disrupt their metabolism (human cells are unaffected).…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/if-certain-bacteria-fungi-or-algae-inch-across-something-made-of/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [ Most of the reefs \[around Christmas Island\] are dead, most of the corals are dead, overgrown by algae, and most of the fish are… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enric-sala/most-of-the-reefs-around-christmas-island-are-dead-most-of-the-corals/) [Enric Sala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enric-sala/) > [What a difference that extra 120 ppm has made for plants, and for animals and humans that depend on them. The more carbon dioxide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-driessen/what-a-difference-that-extra-120-ppm-has-made-for-plants-and-for/) [Paul Driessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-driessen/) > [“In this city of concave algae ponds, my mother begins to plant bonsais, nettle and leaf: silk against the skin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sneha-subramanian-kanta/in-this-city-of-concave-algae-ponds-my-mother-begins-to-plant-bonsais/) [Sneha Subramanian Kanta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sneha-subramanian-kanta/) > [Algae is the perfect food plant. It doubles cell mass every twelve hours, depending on the strain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homaro-cantu/algae-is-the-perfect-food-plant-it-doubles-cell-mass-every-twelve/) [Homaro Cantu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homaro-cantu/) > [Nearly all edible seaweeds - or 'sea vegetables,' as they ought technically to be called - belong to one of three broad groups: green,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yotam-ottolenghi/nearly-all-edible-seaweeds-or-sea-vegetables-as-they-ought/) [Yotam Ottolenghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yotam-ottolenghi/) > [The Japanese have a long lifespan in part because they eat different forms of algae.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homaro-cantu/the-japanese-have-a-long-lifespan-in-part-because-they-eat-different/) [Homaro Cantu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homaro-cantu/) > [...the life of the planet began the long, slow process of modulating and regulating the physical conditions of the planet. The oxygen in today's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/the-life-of-the-planet-began-the-long-slow-process-of-modulating-and/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [And in the process, we have come up with fuels - algae-based fuels, isobutanol-based fuels and other fuels - that we think will power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/and-in-the-process-we-have-come-up-with-fuels-algae-based-fuels/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [The entire range of living matter on Earth from whales to viruses and from oaks to algae could be regarded as constituting a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lovelock/the-entire-range-of-living-matter-on-earth-from-whales-to-viruses-and/) [James Lovelock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lovelock/) > [Large, centralized organizations foster alienation like stagnant ponds breed algae.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-semler/large-centralized-organizations-foster-alienation-like-stagnant-ponds/) [Ricardo Semler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-semler/) [Browse all 38 Algae quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/algae/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sex was invented as a biological instrument by (say) the green algae. 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