--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Darwin proposed that creatures like us…" description: "\"“Darwin proposed that creatures like us who, by their nature, are riven by strong emotional conflicts, and who have also the intelligence to be aware o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e8/mary-midgley-29850_character_darwin-proposed-that-creatures-like-us-w_2972011.jpg" --- # Darwin proposed that creatures like us who, by their… ![“Darwin proposed that creatures like us who, by their nature, are riven by strong emotional conflicts, and who have also the intelligence to be aware of those conflicts, absolutely need to develop a morality because they need a priority system by which to resolve them. The need for morality is a…” quote by Mary Midgley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e8/mary-midgley-29850_character_darwin-proposed-that-creatures-like-us-w_2972011.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e8/mary-midgley-29850_character_darwin-proposed-that-creatures-like-us-w_2972011.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e8/mary-midgley-29850_character_darwin-proposed-that-creatures-like-us-w_2972011.jpg) > ““Darwin proposed that creatures like us who, by their nature, are riven by strong emotional conflicts, and who have also the intelligence to be aware of those conflicts, absolutely need to develop a morality because they need a priority system by which to resolve them. The need for morality is a corollary of conflicts plus intellect: 'Man, from the activity of his mental faculties, cannot avoid reflection. . . . Any animal whatever, endowed with well-marked social instincts, would inevitably acquire a moral sense or conscience as soon as its intellectual powers had become as well-developed, or anything like as well-developed as in man.' - Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man That (he said) is why we have within us the rudiments of such a priority system and why we have also an intense need to develop those rudiments. We try to shape our moralities in accordance with our deepest wishes so that we can in some degree harmonize our muddled and conflict-ridden emotional constitution, thus finding ourselves a way of life that suits it so far as is possible. These systems are, therefore, something far deeper than mere social contracts made for convenience. They are not optional. They are a profound attempt -- though of course usually an unsuccessful one -- to shape our conflict-ridden life in a way that gives priority to the things that we care about most. If this is right, then we are creatures whose evolved nature absolutely requires that we develop a morality. We need it in order to find our way in the world. The idea that we could live without any distinction between right and wrong is as strange as the idea that we -- being creatures subject to gravitation -- could live without any idea of up and down. That at least is Darwin’s idea and it seems to me to be one that deserves attention. “Wickedness: An Open Debate,” The Philosopher’s Magazine, No. 14, Spring 2001”” [Mary Midgley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Darwin argued that because humans have strong emotions and intellect, they inevitably develop morality to resolve internal conflicts, making moral systems essential, not optional. **In simple terms:** Human intellect and emotion create a need for moral systems. Key Takeaway Moral development is essential for conflict resolution. Themes ethics psychology evolution human nature conflict Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - personal decision‑making - conflict mediation - education - policy design Key Concepts moral philosophy evolutionary psychology social cognition Questions to Reflect On - What conflicts shape your personal moral priorities? - Can morality be truly universal? A Different Perspective Moral systems may be imperfect and culturally variable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Finding Ourselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding-ourselves/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Right and wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-and-wrong/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Way of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-life/) ## Related quotes > [ “He \[William Jennings Bryan\] recognized that what Darwin proposed on the biological level, when applied on the societal level, might legitimize an ideology that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-campolo/he-william-jennings-bryan-recognized-that-what-darwin-proposed-on-the/) [Tony Campolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-campolo/) > [If I were to give a prize for the single best idea anybody ever had, I'd give it to Darwin for the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/if-i-were-to-give-a-prize-for-the-single-best-idea-anybody-ever-had-i/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [“I have chosen two concepts to guide my thoughts and actions. They are stronger than the pressure of society, the constraints of morality, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gamal-hennessy/i-have-chosen-two-concepts-to-guide-my-thoughts-and-actions-they-are/) [Gamal Hennessy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gamal-hennessy/) > [“Your respect for people does not mean you need them This is your morality, even if they do not deserve it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waciny-laredj/your-respect-for-people-does-not-mean-you-need-them-this-is-your/) Waciny Laredj > [Darwin's idea of natural selection makes people uncomfortable because it reverses the direction of tradition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/darwin-s-idea-of-natural-selection-makes-people-uncomfortable-because/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [You who prattle that morality is social and that man would need no morality on a desert island - it is on a desert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/you-who-prattle-that-morality-is-social-and-that-man-would-need-no/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“We need a morality based upon love of life, upon pleasure in growth and positive achievement, not upon repression and prohibition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/we-need-a-morality-based-upon-love-of-life-upon-pleasure-in-growth/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [I believe in keeping guns out of our inner cities, and that our leaders must say so in the face of the gun manfuacturer's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-believe-in-keeping-guns-out-of-our-inner-cities-and-that-our-2/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Knowledge is not the same as morality, but we need to understand if we are to avoid past mistakes and move in productive directions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/knowledge-is-not-the-same-as-morality-but-we-need-to-understand-if-we/) [Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/) > [The traditional view of purpose says it comes from on high, from God, from the Creator. Darwin's idea of natural selection makes people uncomfortable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/the-traditional-view-of-purpose-says-it-comes-from-on-high-from-god/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Until we lose ourselves there is no hope of finding ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/until-we-lose-ourselves-there-is-no-hope-of-finding-ourselves/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [In the decline of life shame and grief are of short duration; whether it be that we bear easily what we have borne long;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/in-the-decline-of-life-shame-and-grief-are-of-short-duration-whether/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“We were all searching outside ourselves for our missing pieces, and we were all looking in the wrong direction. Instead of finding ourselves, we'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-strauss/we-were-all-searching-outside-ourselves-for-our-missing-pieces-and-we/) [Neil Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-strauss/) > [“finitely fine. Between a measurement of 2.3 inches and one of 2.4 inches there are intermediate, more precise, measurements of 2.31, 2.32, 2.33…, 2.39…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/finitely-fine-between-a-measurement-of-2-3-inches-and-one-of-2-4/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Facing our fears, skeletons, and mistakes is paramount in finding ourselves-in living with ourselves. Once it's done, that fear will be laid to rest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-woodsmall/facing-our-fears-skeletons-and-mistakes-is-paramount-in-finding/) [Cindy Woodsmall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-woodsmall/) ## More by Mary Midgley > [“Unless all that we take to be knowledge is an illusion, we must hold that in thinking we are not reading rationality into an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/unless-all-that-we-take-to-be-knowledge-is-an-illusion-we-must-hold/) [Mary Midgley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/) > [“By contrast, if one conceives the idea of human rights as centring on the notion that each individual is completely autonomous and should have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/by-contrast-if-one-conceives-the-idea-of-human-rights-as-centring-on/) [Mary Midgley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/) > [The world in which the kestrel moves, the world that it sees, is, and always will be, entirely beyond us. That there are such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/the-world-in-which-the-kestrel-moves-the-world-that-it-sees-is-and/) [Mary Midgley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/) > [Few scientists would treat their cars as badly as they treat their conceptual schemes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/few-scientists-would-treat-their-cars-as-badly-as-they-treat-their/) [Mary Midgley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/) > [“. . . Neither ecological nor social engineering will lead us to a conflict-free, simple path . . . Utilitarians and others who simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/neither-ecological-nor-social-engineering-will-lead-us-to-a-conflict/) [Mary Midgley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/) > [When some portion of the biosphere is rather unpopular with the human race-a crocodile, a dandelion, a stony valley, a snowstorm, an odd-shaped flint-there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/when-some-portion-of-the-biosphere-is-rather-unpopular-with-the-human/) [Mary Midgley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/) > [It is extremely urgent to try and adapt our thoughts realistically to a world which has no fixed general direction either upward or downward,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/it-is-extremely-urgent-to-try-and-adapt-our-thoughts-realistically-to/) [Mary Midgley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/) > [It is this claim to a monopoly of meaning, rather than any special scientific doctrine, that makes science and religion look like competitors today.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/it-is-this-claim-to-a-monopoly-of-meaning-rather-than-any-special/) [Mary Midgley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/) > [Morally as well as physically, there is only one world, and we all have to live in it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/morally-as-well-as-physically-there-is-only-one-world-and-we-all-have/) [Mary Midgley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/) > [What great philosophers do for us is not to hand out such an all-purpose system. It is to light up and clarify some special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/what-great-philosophers-do-for-us-is-not-to-hand-out-such-an-all/) [Mary Midgley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/) > [Evolution is the creation-myth of our age. By telling us our origin it shapes our views of what we are. It influences not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/evolution-is-the-creation-myth-of-our-age-by-telling-us-our-origin-it/) [Mary Midgley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/) > [The symbolism of meat-eating is never neutral. To himself, the meat-eater seems to be eating life. To the vegetarian, he seems to be eating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/the-symbolism-of-meat-eating-is-never-neutral-to-himself-the-meat/) [Mary Midgley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/) > [None of us can study anything properly unless we do it with our whole being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/none-of-us-can-study-anything-properly-unless-we-do-it-with-our-whole/) [Mary Midgley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/) > [The trouble with human beings is not really that they love themselves too much; they ought to love themselves more. The trouble is simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/the-trouble-with-human-beings-is-not-really-that-they-love-themselves/) [Mary Midgley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/) > [Hubris calls for nemesis, and in one form or another it's going to get it, not as a punishment from outside but as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/hubris-calls-for-nemesis-and-in-one-form-or-another-it-s-going-to-get/) [Mary Midgley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/) [Explore all 18 Mary Midgley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) David Hudgins > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Darwin proposed that creatures like us who, by their nature, are riven by strong emotional conflicts, and who have also the intelligence to be aware of those conflicts, absolutely need to develop a morality because they need a priority system by which to resolve them. The need for morality is a corollary of conflicts plus intellect: 'Man, from the activity of his mental faculties, cannot avoid reflection. . . . Any animal whatever, endowed with well-marked social instincts, would inevitably acquire a moral sense or conscience as soon as its intellectual powers had become as well-developed, or anything like as well-developed as in man.' - Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man That (he said) is why we have within us the rudiments of such a priority system and why we have also an intense need to develop those rudiments. We try to shape our moralities in accordance with our deepest wishes so that we can in some degree harmonize our muddled and conflict-ridden emotional constitution, thus finding ourselves a way of life that suits it so far as is possible. These systems are, therefore, something far deeper than mere social contracts made for convenience. They are not optional. They are a profound attempt -- though of course usually an unsuccessful one -- to shape our conflict-ridden life in a way that gives priority to the things that we care about most. If this is right, then we are creatures whose evolved nature absolutely requires that we develop a morality. We need it in order to find our way in the world. The idea that we could live without any distinction between right and wrong is as strange as the idea that we -- being creatures subject to gravitation -- could live without any idea of up and down. That at least is Darwin’s idea and it seems to me to be one that deserves attention. “Wickedness: An Open Debate,” The Philosopher’s Magazine, No. 14, Spring 2001”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary Midgley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/darwin-proposed-that-creatures-like-us-who-by-their-nature-are-riven/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/darwin-proposed-that-creatures-like-us-who-by-their-nature-are-riven/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e8/mary-midgley-29850_character_darwin-proposed-that-creatures-like-us-w_2972011.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e8/mary-midgley-29850_character_darwin-proposed-that-creatures-like-us-w_2972011.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e8/mary-midgley-29850_character_darwin-proposed-that-creatures-like-us-w_2972011.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Darwin proposed that creatures like us who, by their nature, are riven by strong emotional conflicts, and…” — Mary Midgley", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mary Midgley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-midgley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Darwin proposed that creatures like us...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/darwin-proposed-that-creatures-like-us-who-by-their-nature-are-riven/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-midgley/darwin-proposed-that-creatures-like-us-who-by-their-nature-are-riven/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```