Biologist Quote by John Maynard Smith
“As an evolutionary biologist, I have learned over the years that most people do not want to see themselves as lumbering robots programmed to ensure the survival of their genes. I don't think they will want to see themselves as digital computers either. To be told by someone with impeccable scientific credentials that they are nothing of the kind can only be pleasing.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Evolution and the Theory of Games, John Maynard Smith, 1982
People resist being reduced to mechanistic metaphors for genetic survival; they prefer richer self‑concepts.
In simple terms: People dislike being seen as mere gene‑driven machines.
Key Takeaway
Embrace complex identity beyond biology.
Themes
identity
biology
philosophy
Mood
thoughtful
critical
Type
philosophical
reflective
When to use this quote
- personal counseling
- education
- public discourse
- science communication
Key Concepts
evolutionary theory
self‑concept
determinism
Questions to Reflect On
- How does viewing yourself as a robot affect your choices?
- Can biology and culture coexist in identity?
A Different Perspective
Such metaphors can oversimplify human agency and ignore cultural factors.
![“This argument [that life is too improbable to have arisen by chance] comes up repeatedly: its latest manifestation is Hoyle's discussion of the likelihood of a wind blowing through a junkyard assembling a Boeing 707 [sic]. What is wrong with it? Essentially, it is that no biologist imagines that…” quote by John Maynard Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8b2/john-maynard-smith-28856_argument_this-argument-that-life-is-too-improbabl_1662785.jpg)
![“By profession a biologist, [Thomas Henry Huxley] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences. Absolutely nothing was uninteresting to him. His curiosity ranged from music to theology and from philosophy to history. He didn't simply know something…” quote by H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f46/h-l-mencken-245_absolutely-nothing_by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-h_5368.jpg)
