--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have a cultural notion that if…" description: "\"We have a cultural notion that if children were not engineered, if we did not manipulate them, they would grow up as beasts in the field. This is the w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/joseph-chilton-pearce-19622_beast_we-have-a-cultural-notion-that-if-childr_802140.png" --- # We have a cultural notion that if children were not… ![“We have a cultural notion that if children were not engineered, if we did not manipulate them, they would grow up as beasts in the field. This is the wildest fallacy in the world.” quote by Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/joseph-chilton-pearce-19622_beast_we-have-a-cultural-notion-that-if-childr_802140.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/joseph-chilton-pearce-19622_beast_we-have-a-cultural-notion-that-if-childr_802140.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/joseph-chilton-pearce-19622_beast_we-have-a-cultural-notion-that-if-childr_802140.png) > “We have a cultural notion that if children were not engineered, if we did not manipulate them, they would grow up as beasts in the field. This is the wildest fallacy in the world.” [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The belief that unmodified children become wild is a profound misconception; nurture shapes humanity. **In simple terms:** Children aren't inherently wild. Key Takeaway Nurture guides development. Themes education nature vs nurture human potential Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - parenting - education policy - child development Key Concepts developmental psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance nature and nurture in education? - What role does genetics play in behavior? A Different Perspective Over‑emphasis on nurture may ignore innate traits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Fallacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fallacy/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“The notion of children makes me ill. The thought of having one... when you see those guys in the supermarket, wheeling the trolley around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-niven/the-notion-of-children-makes-me-ill-the-thought-of-having-one-when/) [John Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-niven/) > [There's a widespread notion that children are open, that the truth about their inner selves just seeps out of them. That's all wrong. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/there-s-a-widespread-notion-that-children-are-open-that-the-truth/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [We understand and promote the notion that while children need to be guided they also have an entrenched right to be whatever they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-understand-and-promote-the-notion-that-while-children-need-to-be/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [There is nothing in England that exercises a more delightful spell over my imagination than the lingerings of the holiday customs and rural games…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-nothing-in-england-that-exercises-a-more-delightful-spell/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [The librarian of today, and it will be true still more of the librarians of tomorrow, are not fiery dragons interposed between the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/the-librarian-of-today-and-it-will-be-true-still-more-of-the/) [William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/) > [Friendship is a common belief in the same fallacies, mountebanks and hobgoblins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/friendship-is-a-common-belief-in-the-same-fallacies-mountebanks-and/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Since the time of Plato and Aristotle philosophers have had an interest in taking note of common fallacies in reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randal-marlin/since-the-time-of-plato-and-aristotle-philosophers-have-had-an/) [Randal Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randal-marlin/) > [Zoocentrism is the primary fallacy of human sociobiology, for this view of human behavior rests on the argument that if the actions of "lower"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/zoocentrism-is-the-primary-fallacy-of-human-sociobiology-for-this/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The logic of worldly success rests on a fallacy: the strange error that our perfection depends on the thoughts and opinions and applause of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-logic-of-worldly-success-rests-on-a-fallacy-the-strange-error/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Here I encounter the most popular fallacy of our times. It is not considered sufficient that the law should guarantee to every citizen the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/here-i-encounter-the-most-popular-fallacy-of-our-times-it-is-not/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [If I am ever obscure in my expressions, do not fancy that therefore I am deep. If I were really deep, all the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/if-i-am-ever-obscure-in-my-expressions-do-not-fancy-that-therefore-i/) [Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/) > [By committing the scientific method to religious claims you're committing a logical fallacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/by-committing-the-scientific-method-to-religious-claims-you-re/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [There's a fallacy with stand up comedy, which is, people come up to comedians, and they go, 'You say what I think but I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jefferies/there-s-a-fallacy-with-stand-up-comedy-which-is-people-come-up-to/) [Jim Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jefferies/) > [Life may be miraculous in its unlikelihood in the universe, but it would be a fallacy to suggest that its rareness makes it inextinguishable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/life-may-be-miraculous-in-its-unlikelihood-in-the-universe-but-it/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) ## More by Joseph Chilton Pearce > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [Seeing within changes one's outer vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/seeing-within-changes-one-s-outer-vision/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [One's capacity for metaphor is one's capacity for a full life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/one-s-capacity-for-metaphor-is-one-s-capacity-for-a-full-life/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [And what does every child believe every adult capable of doing? 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There is no being except in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/function-and-man-appear-synonymous-because-the-function-can-only-be/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [A 'school-at-home' approach to homeschooling is just decorating the electric chair in different colors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/a-school-at-home-approach-to-homeschooling-is-just-decorating-the/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [“A friend said, "Ah, I get it. All of my life I have gone into every next event asking, in effect, What's in it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/a-friend-said-ah-i-get-it-all-of-my-life-i-have-gone-into-every-next/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/play-is-the-only-way-the-highest-intelligence-of-humankind-can-unfold/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [We live in a web of ideas, a fabric of our own making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/we-live-in-a-web-of-ideas-a-fabric-of-our-own-making/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [Our reality is influenced by our notions about reality, regardless of the nature of those notions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/our-reality-is-influenced-by-our-notions-about-reality-regardless-of/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [All children want to do is play in worlds they create and project on their external world. If allowed to do that, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/all-children-want-to-do-is-play-in-worlds-they-create-and-project-on/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [“As for myself, however, today is the day, and I dare not wait for some slow cultural drift finally to pave the way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/as-for-myself-however-today-is-the-day-and-i-dare-not-wait-for-some/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) [Explore all 32 Joseph Chilton Pearce quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) ## More Beast quotes > [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/) > [“Once upon a time, there was a naïve and innocent girl who thought she could tame the beast and live happily ever after. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-na-ve-and-innocent-girl-who-thought-she/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou ow'st the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-man-no-more-than-this-consider-him-well-thou-ow-st-the-worm-no/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [In giving us dominion over the animal kingdom God has signified His will that we subdue the beast within ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/in-giving-us-dominion-over-the-animal-kingdom-god-has-signified-his/) [John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/) > [ No visiting angel, or explorer from another planet, could have guessed that this bland orb \[Earth\] teemed with vermin, with world-mastering, self-torturing, incipiently angelic… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/no-visiting-angel-or-explorer-from-another-planet-could-have-guessed/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [As a beast of toil an ox is fixed capital. If he is eaten, he no longer functions as an instrument of labour, nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/as-a-beast-of-toil-an-ox-is-fixed-capital-if-he-is-eaten-he-no-longer/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [« He squeezed his hands into fists. I picked up a grapefruit-sized rock and handed it to him. It went flying. Home run, Beast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/he-squeezed-his-hands-into-fists-i-picked-up-a-grapefruit-sized-rock/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Was man made stupid to see his own stupidity? Is God by definition indifferent, beyond us all? Is the eternal truth man's fighting soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-eberhart/was-man-made-stupid-to-see-his-own-stupidity-is-god-by-definition/) [Richard Eberhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-eberhart/) > [When a man is treated like a beast, he says, 'After all, I'm human.' When he behaves like a beast, he says 'After all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/when-a-man-is-treated-like-a-beast-he-says-after-all-i-m-human-when/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [The American people are incredibly generous and even playful when you open yourself up and feed the media beast until it goes away satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/the-american-people-are-incredibly-generous-and-even-playful-when-you/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) > [Wherever I am, I see the yoke on women in some form or another. On some it sits easy for they are but beasts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-may-alcott/wherever-i-am-i-see-the-yoke-on-women-in-some-form-or-another-on-some/) [Abby May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-may-alcott/) > [“He's a beast. A monster. And he looks like he wants to devour me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/he-s-a-beast-a-monster-and-he-looks-like-he-wants-to-devour-me/) [J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/) > [ Antichrist is the pope and the Turk \[Muslim\] together. A beast full of life must have a body and soul. The spirit or soul… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/antichrist-is-the-pope-and-the-turk-muslim-together-a-beast-full-of/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [My hero among heroes is my grandmother, she's the epitome of strength and I try to mock that strength all the time. She's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeriel-miranda/my-hero-among-heroes-is-my-grandmother-she-s-the-epitome-of-strength/) [Aeriel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeriel-miranda/) > [You've heard tales of beauty and the beast. How a fair maid falls in love with a monster and sees the beauty of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-maitland/you-ve-heard-tales-of-beauty-and-the-beast-how-a-fair-maid-falls-in/) [Karen Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-maitland/) [Browse all 1,640 Beast quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We have a cultural notion that if children were not engineered, if we did not manipulate them, they would grow up as beasts in the field. 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