--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Common sense says that the amazing…" description: "\"“Common sense says that the amazing complexity of life cannot arise out of a random process. The neo-Darwinians use clever arguments to show why evolut..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/lee-spetner-31842_biological-complexit_common-sense-says-that-the-amazing-compl_2198716.jpg" --- # Common sense says that the amazing complexity of life… ![“Common sense says that the amazing complexity of life cannot arise out of a random process. The neo-Darwinians use clever arguments to show why evolution should work and why common sense is wrong. One after the other of them has explained that although the variability occurs randomly, the…” quote by Lee Spetner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/lee-spetner-31842_biological-complexit_common-sense-says-that-the-amazing-compl_2198716.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/lee-spetner-31842_biological-complexit_common-sense-says-that-the-amazing-compl_2198716.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/lee-spetner-31842_biological-complexit_common-sense-says-that-the-amazing-compl_2198716.jpg) > ““Common sense says that the amazing complexity of life cannot arise out of a random process. The neo-Darwinians use clever arguments to show why evolution should work and why common sense is wrong. One after the other of them has explained that although the variability occurs randomly, the selection process gives it direction and makes it nonrandom. . . . if the arguments were solid and correct they should have put the theory on a stable and reliable foundation. The neo-Darwinians would like everyone to believe they have done that.”” [Lee Spetner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-spetner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that random variation plus natural selection can produce complex life, challenging the claim that common sense disproves evolution. **In simple terms:** Evolution uses random variation and nonrandom selection to create complexity. Key Takeaway Recognize selection’s role in shaping life. Themes evolution science philosophy complexity Mood thoughtful analytical Type scientific critical When to use this quote - biology education - public debates on evolution - science communication Key Concepts random variation natural selection theory critique Questions to Reflect On - How does selection overcome randomness? - What evidence supports evolutionary mechanisms? A Different Perspective The argument may oversimplify the robustness of evolutionary evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arguments Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguments-evolution-1568016/) [Biological-complexity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biological-complexity-20250/) [Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [Darwinians Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darwinians-use-4820821/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Evolution Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution-work-2521627/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Natural selection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-selection/) [Neo Darwinians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neo-darwinians-4727255/) [Neo-darwinism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neo-darwinism/) ## Related quotes > [“Neo-Darwinians do cite some examples of evolution they claim the NDT explains. Natural selection can indeed account for the replacement of light-colored moths with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-spetner/neo-darwinians-do-cite-some-examples-of-evolution-they-claim-the-ndt/) [Lee Spetner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-spetner/) > [“Information and complexity go hand in hand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-spetner/information-and-complexity-go-hand-in-hand/) [Lee Spetner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-spetner/) > [Evolution is always the work of pioneers, and their followers are always small in number. This following is not a clique; it is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-mondrian/evolution-is-always-the-work-of-pioneers-and-their-followers-are/) [Piet Mondrian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-mondrian/) > [Neo-Darwinian language and conceptual structure itself ensures scientific failure: Major questions posed by zoologists cannot be answered from inside the neo-Darwinian straitjacket. 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THe full name of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-spetner/to-understand-darwin-s-work-you-have-to-distinguish-between-his/) [Lee Spetner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-spetner/) > [I read five books on the Constitution. My favorite was 'Plain, Honest Men' by Richard Beeman. 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Yet it can produce what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-spetner/there-is-another-kind-of-variation-that-does-not-involve-the-genome/) [Lee Spetner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-spetner/) > [“The bradys must hold that, on the average, cumulative selection has to add a little information to the genome at each step. But of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-spetner/the-bradys-must-hold-that-on-the-average-cumulative-selection-has-to/) [Lee Spetner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-spetner/) > [“To understand Darwin's work, you have to distinguish between his theory of descent and his theory of natural selection. THe full name of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-spetner/to-understand-darwin-s-work-you-have-to-distinguish-between-his/) [Lee Spetner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-spetner/) > [“Life is so diversified that to any statement I could make about living organisms there are exceptions. 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In extreme cases they may die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/plants-can-be-affected-by-stray-voltage-and-they-may-show-stunted/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Information and complexity go hand in hand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-spetner/information-and-complexity-go-hand-in-hand/) [Lee Spetner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-spetner/) > [“Who gave the decisive deathblow to the argument from design on the basis of biological complexity? Both philosophers and biologists are divided on this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maarten-boudry/who-gave-the-decisive-deathblow-to-the-argument-from-design-on-the/) [Maarten Boudry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maarten-boudry/) [Browse all 7 Biological-complexity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biological-complexity-20250/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Common sense says that the amazing complexity of life cannot arise out of a random process. The neo-Darwinians use clever arguments to show why evolution should work and why common sense is wrong. One after the other of them has explained that although the variability occurs randomly, the selection process gives it direction and makes it nonrandom. . . . if the arguments were solid and correct they should have put the theory on a stable and reliable foundation. 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