--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Today we know not only that there is a…" description: "\"Today we know not only that there is a terrible amount of disorder in the heavens - great catastrophes or conflagrations occur frequently - but evoluti..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/joseph-mccabe-26676_amount_today-we-know-not-only-that-there-is-a-t_1281976.png" --- # Today we know not only that there is a terrible amount of… ![“Today we know not only that there is a terrible amount of disorder in the heavens - great catastrophes or conflagrations occur frequently - but evolution gives us a perfectly natural explanation of such order as there is. No distinguished astronomer now traces "the finger of God" in the heavens…” quote by Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/joseph-mccabe-26676_amount_today-we-know-not-only-that-there-is-a-t_1281976.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/joseph-mccabe-26676_amount_today-we-know-not-only-that-there-is-a-t_1281976.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/020/joseph-mccabe-26676_amount_today-we-know-not-only-that-there-is-a-t_1281976.png) > “Today we know not only that there is a terrible amount of disorder in the heavens - great catastrophes or conflagrations occur frequently - but evolution gives us a perfectly natural explanation of such order as there is. No distinguished astronomer now traces "the finger of God" in the heavens; and astronomers ought to know best.” [Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Astronomical disorder is natural; invoking divine causation is outdated, and science explains cosmic order. **In simple terms:** Cosmic chaos is natural; science, it, not God. Key Takeaway Trust scientific explanations of the universe. Themes science cosmology skepticism Mood analytical thoughtful Type explanatory philosophical When to use this quote - education - public talks - debates on religion Key Concepts natural law philosophy of science atheism Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile scientific and spiritual views? - What evidence convinces you of natural order? A Different Perspective Science may not answer all existential questions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amount/) [Astronomer Traces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomer-traces-4144997/) [Astronomers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomers/) [Astronomers Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomers-ought-2192301/) [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Catastrophe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catastrophe/) [Disorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disorder/) [Disorder Heavens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disorder-heavens-1181928/) [Distinguished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinguished/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Explanation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explanation/) [Fingers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fingers/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Heavens Astronomers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heavens-astronomers-4144996/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Perfectly natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfectly-natural/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [Astronomers ought to be able to ask fundamental questions without accelerators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-perlmutter/astronomers-ought-to-be-able-to-ask-fundamental-questions-without/) [Saul Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-perlmutter/) > [There is great disorder in the heavens, and the situation is excellent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/there-is-great-disorder-in-the-heavens-and-the-situation-is-excellent/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) > [Sometimes I write notes that I have difficulty singing. 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It is also perfectly natural for the many scientists I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-daniel-phillips/being-an-ordinary-scientist-and-an-ordinary-christian-seems-perfectly/) [William Daniel Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-daniel-phillips/) > [It’s perfectly natural for me to sit down and talk about meditating and spiritual practice with my friends. But then I realize, how would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/it-s-perfectly-natural-for-me-to-sit-down-and-talk-about-meditating/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [It occurs to me one evening as I'm feeding the birds that all I did was put two birds in the aviary, some food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wharton/it-occurs-to-me-one-evening-as-i-m-feeding-the-birds-that-all-i-did/) [William Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wharton/) > [There are certainly numberless women of fashion who consider it perfectly natural to go miles down Fifth Avenue, or Madison Avenue, yet for whom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-romains/there-are-certainly-numberless-women-of-fashion-who-consider-it/) [Jules Romains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-romains/) > [A writer represents his family history. My grandfather was a senator and my father served in the Roosevelt administration. In other words, I grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/a-writer-represents-his-family-history-my-grandfather-was-a-senator/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## More by Joseph McCabe > [An idea or institution may arise for one reason and be maintained for quite a different reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/an-idea-or-institution-may-arise-for-one-reason-and-be-maintained-for/) [Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/) > [“In his numerous historical and Scriptural works Bauer rejects all supernatural religion, and represents Christianity as a natural product of the mingling of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/in-his-numerous-historical-and-scriptural-works-bauer-rejects-all/) [Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/) > [Evolution throws a wonderful light on all the struggles, eccentricities, tortuous developments of the human conscience in the past. 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On Christmas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/i-took-a-sheet-of-paper-divided-it-into-debt-and-credit-columns-on/) [Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/) > [The sentiments attributed to Christ are in the Old Testament. They were familiar in the Jewish schools and to all the Pharisees, long before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/the-sentiments-attributed-to-christ-are-in-the-old-testament-they/) [Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/) > [“{ McCabe on the influential scientist Luther Burbank } His magnificent work, which added an incalculable sum to the wealth of America and left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/mccabe-on-the-influential-scientist-luther-burbank-his-magnificent/) [Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/) > [“The absence of theistic belief... { Defining the word 'atheism' }”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/the-absence-of-theistic-belief-defining-the-word-atheism/) [Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/) > [No pope ever condemned slavery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/no-pope-ever-condemned-slavery/) [Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/) > [The absence of theistic belief...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/the-absence-of-theistic-belief/) [Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/) > [The making of an Atheist implies a mental stimulation and training which brings into play the primary factors of social progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/the-making-of-an-atheist-implies-a-mental-stimulation-and-training/) [Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/) > [The Rationalist case needs no straining of evidence and always gains by the severest self-criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/the-rationalist-case-needs-no-straining-of-evidence-and-always-gains/) [Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/) > [If a single one of these gentlemen is correct, if a believer of any type is right, the essential truth for man, the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccabe/if-a-single-one-of-these-gentlemen-is-correct-if-a-believer-of-any/) [Joseph McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/) [Explore all 21 Joseph McCabe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccabe/) ## More Amount quotes > [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [When the amount of change externally exceeds the amount of change internally, the end is in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/when-the-amount-of-change-externally-exceeds-the-amount-of-change/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/) [Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/) > [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) > [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [The amount you give isn't important. What matters is what that amount represents in terms of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-amount-you-give-isn-t-important-what-matters-is-what-that-amount/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [There's a place in Botswana where there are 100,000 elephants living in a single population. Think of the amount of space they need. Remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-bergin/there-s-a-place-in-botswana-where-there-are-100-000-elephants-living/) [Patrick Bergin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-bergin/) > [How could you justify giving Holland twice the amount of money that you gave Belgium? Well, finally, I put it up to them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/how-could-you-justify-giving-holland-twice-the-amount-of-money-that/) [W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/) > [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. 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