--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was a shock to people of the…" description: "\"It was a shock to people of the nineteenth century when they discovered, from observations science had made, that many features of the biological world..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/michael-behe-14142_century_it-was-a-shock-to-people-of-the-nineteen_2946810.jpg" --- # It was a shock to people of the nineteenth century when… ![“It was a shock to people of the nineteenth century when they discovered, from observations science had made, that many features of the biological world could be ascribed to the elegant principle of natural selection.” quote by Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/michael-behe-14142_century_it-was-a-shock-to-people-of-the-nineteen_2946810.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/michael-behe-14142_century_it-was-a-shock-to-people-of-the-nineteen_2946810.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/michael-behe-14142_century_it-was-a-shock-to-people-of-the-nineteen_2946810.jpg) > “It was a shock to people of the nineteenth century when they discovered, from observations science had made, that many features of the biological world could be ascribed to the elegant principle of natural selection.” [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The discovery that natural selection explains many biological traits shocked 19th‑century thinkers accustomed to design explanations. **In simple terms:** Science showed nature works by selection, not design. Key Takeaway Accept evolutionary evidence. Themes science history philosophy Mood thoughtful analytical Type scientific historical When to use this quote - education - public debate - policy making Key Concepts natural selection evolutionary theory Questions to Reflect On - How does this view affect modern biology? - What evidence supports design vs selection? A Different Perspective It may overlook other mechanisms like genetic drift. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Elegant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elegant/) [Natural selection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-selection/) [Nineteenth century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nineteenth-century/) [Observation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shock/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [In the way that the 15th Century discovered the New World, the 20th Century discovered the parallel continuum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/in-the-way-that-the-15th-century-discovered-the-new-world-the-20th/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [“If artificial selection can make such major changes in so short a period of time, what must natural selection, working over billions of years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/if-artificial-selection-can-make-such-major-changes-in-so-short-a/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [We've been modifying the biological world at the level of DNA for thousands of years. Somehow there is this new fear of what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-arnold/we-ve-been-modifying-the-biological-world-at-the-level-of-dna-for/) [Frances Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-arnold/) > [ \[Bacteria are the\] dark matter of the biological world \[with 4 million mostly unknown species in a ton of soil\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/bacteria-are-the-dark-matter-of-the-biological-world-with-4-million/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [Of course language arose in a Darwinian biological world, because that's all there is, but that world relates only superficially to the pop-biology that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/of-course-language-arose-in-a-darwinian-biological-world-because-that/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There is nothing more mysterious about the concept human nature than about the concept bee or chicken nature, at least for those who regard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-is-nothing-more-mysterious-about-the-concept-human-nature-than/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [We are embedded in a biological world and related to the organisms around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gilbert/we-are-embedded-in-a-biological-world-and-related-to-the-organisms/) [Walter Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gilbert/) > [“Nature is the birthright of everyone on Earth. 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Nothing else matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-mankell/in-the-biological-world-children-are-the-sole-purpose-nothing-else/) [Henning Mankell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-mankell/) > [I decided that I wanted to become an engineer of the biological world, specifically a protein engineer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-arnold/i-decided-that-i-wanted-to-become-an-engineer-of-the-biological-world/) [Frances Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-arnold/) > [We tend to talk about the world in a myriad of ways - a microscopic world of elementary particles, a biological world of organisms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-m-carroll/we-tend-to-talk-about-the-world-in-a-myriad-of-ways-a-microscopic/) [Sean M. Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-m-carroll/) > [The question is: exactly how did life get here? Was it by natural selection and random mutation or was it by something else? Everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/the-question-is-exactly-how-did-life-get-here-was-it-by-natural/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) ## More by Michael Behe > [As the number of unexplained, irreducibly complex biological systems increases, our confidence that Darwin's criterion of failure has been met skyrockets toward the maximum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/as-the-number-of-unexplained-irreducibly-complex-biological-systems/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [As commonly understood, creationism involves belief in an earth formed only about ten thousand years ago, an interpretation of the Bible that is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/as-commonly-understood-creationism-involves-belief-in-an-earth-formed/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [I find the idea of common descent (that all organisms share a common ancestor) fairly convincing, and have no particular reason to doubt it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/i-find-the-idea-of-common-descent-that-all-organisms-share-a-common/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [Thus it seemed to Haeckel that such simple life could easily be produced from inanimate material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/thus-it-seemed-to-haeckel-that-such-simple-life-could-easily-be/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [Proteins are the machinery of living tissue that builds the structures and carries out the chemical reactions necessary for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/proteins-are-the-machinery-of-living-tissue-that-builds-the/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [I believe the evidence strongly supports common descent. But the root question remains unanswered: What has caused complex systems to form?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/i-believe-the-evidence-strongly-supports-common-descent-but-the-root/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [In private many scientists admit that science has no explanation for the beginning of life… Darwin never imagined the exquisitely profound complexity that exists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/in-private-many-scientists-admit-that-science-has-no-explanation-for/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [The theory of undirected evolution is already dead, but the work of science continues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/the-theory-of-undirected-evolution-is-already-dead-but-the-work-of/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [Many people, including many important and well-respected scientists, just don't want there to be anything beyond nature. They don't want a supernatural being to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/many-people-including-many-important-and-well-respected-scientists/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [If you take away a rock from a pile of rocks you haven't changed much. It's still a heap of rocks - just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/if-you-take-away-a-rock-from-a-pile-of-rocks-you-haven-t-changed-much/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [It is often said that science must avoid any conclusions which smack of the supernatural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/it-is-often-said-that-science-must-avoid-any-conclusions-which-smack/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [The question is: exactly how did life get here? Was it by natural selection and random mutation or was it by something else? Everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/the-question-is-exactly-how-did-life-get-here-was-it-by-natural/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [Under my definition, a scientific theory is a proposed explanation which focuses or points to physical, observable data and logical inferences. There are many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/under-my-definition-a-scientific-theory-is-a-proposed-explanation/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [As can be seen even by this limited number of examples proteins carry out amazingly diverse functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/as-can-be-seen-even-by-this-limited-number-of-examples-proteins-carry/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [It is a shock to us in the twentieth century to discover, from observations science has made, that the fundamental mechanisms of life cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/it-is-a-shock-to-us-in-the-twentieth-century-to-discover-from/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) [Explore all 47 Michael Behe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) ## More Century quotes > [I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-always-that-i-am-an-outsider-a-stranger-in-this-century-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The poetry from the eighteenth century was prose; the prose from the seventeenth century was poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hare/the-poetry-from-the-eighteenth-century-was-prose-the-prose-from-the/) [David Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hare/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/) [Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/) > [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [At no time in the past century has public distrust of the government been so broadly distributed across the political spectrum, as it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-zimmermann/at-no-time-in-the-past-century-has-public-distrust-of-the-government/) [Phil Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-zimmermann/) > [While husbands and lovers in the stories are of all kinds, ranging from sympathetic to disgusting, women are invariably deceivers: inconstant, unscrupulous, quarrelsome, querulous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/while-husbands-and-lovers-in-the-stories-are-of-all-kinds-ranging/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [The young people today are the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/the-young-people-today-are-the-21st-century/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [The wisdom of our actions in the first three years of peace will determine the course of world history for half a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-wallace/the-wisdom-of-our-actions-in-the-first-three-years-of-peace-will/) [Henry A. Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-wallace/) > [For me, the melancholy of the late XXth Century is walking late at night by the Mont Blanc pen store and seeing these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/for-me-the-melancholy-of-the-late-xxth-century-is-walking-late-at/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Consequently, citizen legislators, rotating back to their communities after a short period of public service—considered an indispensable and routine characteristic and design of representative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/consequently-citizen-legislators-rotating-back-to-their-communities/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 5,406 Century quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was a shock to people of the nineteenth century when they discovered, from observations science had made, that many features of the biological world could be ascribed to the elegant principle of natural selection.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Behe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/it-was-a-shock-to-people-of-the-nineteenth-century-when-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Century" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/it-was-a-shock-to-people-of-the-nineteenth-century-when-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/michael-behe-14142_century_it-was-a-shock-to-people-of-the-nineteen_2946810.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/michael-behe-14142_century_it-was-a-shock-to-people-of-the-nineteen_2946810.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/michael-behe-14142_century_it-was-a-shock-to-people-of-the-nineteen_2946810.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was a shock to people of the nineteenth century when they discovered, from observations science had made…” — Michael Behe", "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": "Michael Behe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It was a shock to people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/it-was-a-shock-to-people-of-the-nineteenth-century-when-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/it-was-a-shock-to-people-of-the-nineteenth-century-when-they/#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 } } ] } ```