Books Quote by John H. Walton
““If we follow the sense of the literature and its ideas of creation, we find that people in the ancient Near East did not think of creation in terms of making material things—instead, everything is function oriented. The gods are beginning their own operations and are making all of the elements of the cosmos operational. Creation thus constituted bringing order to the cosmos from an originally nonfunctional condition. It is from this reading of the literature that we may deduce a functional ontology in the ancient world—that is, that they offer accounts of functional origins rather than accounts of material origins.””
About This Quote
Ancient Near Eastern texts view creation as making the cosmos functional, not material, emphasizing order from chaos.
In simple terms: Creation is about giving function, not forming matter.
Key Takeaway
Focus on purpose and order in problem solving.
Themes
creation
order
functionality
Mood
thoughtful
inquisitive
Type
academic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- project planning
- software design
- urban development
- education curriculum
Key Concepts
ancient mythology
philosophy
ontology
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we apply functional thinking today?
- What systems lack clear purpose?
A Different Perspective
Modern perspectives may prioritize material aspects, limiting functional insight.
![“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)
