--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What science tells us is that we are but…" description: "\"“What science tells us is that we are but one among hundreds of millions of species that evolved over the course of three and a half billion years on o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/michael-shermer-2567_astronomy_what-science-tells-us-is-that-we-are-but_2616087.jpg" --- # What science tells us is that we are but one among… ![“What science tells us is that we are but one among hundreds of millions of species that evolved over the course of three and a half billion years on one tiny planet among many orbiting an ordinary star, itself one of possibly billions of solar systems in an ordinary galaxy that contains hundreds…” quote by Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/michael-shermer-2567_astronomy_what-science-tells-us-is-that-we-are-but_2616087.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/michael-shermer-2567_astronomy_what-science-tells-us-is-that-we-are-but_2616087.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/michael-shermer-2567_astronomy_what-science-tells-us-is-that-we-are-but_2616087.jpg) > ““What science tells us is that we are but one among hundreds of millions of species that evolved over the course of three and a half billion years on one tiny planet among many orbiting an ordinary star, itself one of possibly billions of solar systems in an ordinary galaxy that contains hundreds of billions of stars, itself located in a cluster of galaxies not so different from millions of other galaxy clusters, themselves whirling away from one another in an expanding cosmic bubble universe that very possibly is only one among a near infinite number of bubble universes.”” [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is a brief moment in an immense, possibly infinite universe, highlighting our modest place in cosmic history. **In simple terms:** We are tiny in a huge, possibly endless cosmos. Key Takeaway Remember humility and curiosity about existence. Themes humility cosmic perspective science existence Mood wonder thoughtful Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - education - public lectures - science communication - personal reflection Key Concepts astronomy philosophy anthropic principle Questions to Reflect On - What does this perspective change about daily choices? - How can we balance awe with purpose? A Different Perspective The sheer scale can overwhelm, leading to nihilism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [Man is a little germ that lives on an unimportant rock ball that revolves about a small star at the outskirts of an ordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/man-is-a-little-germ-that-lives-on-an-unimportant-rock-ball-that/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [I'm really interested in self-deception. Really interested in how people live in bubble universes. How people can fail to see the seemingly obvious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/i-m-really-interested-in-self-deception-really-interested-in-how/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [We are here because over billions of years, countless variables fell into place, any of which could have taken another path. We are essentially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-mass/we-are-here-because-over-billions-of-years-countless-variables-fell/) [Wendy Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-mass/) > [“We are essentially a beautiful fluke, as are the millions of other species with which we share this planet. Our cells are composed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-mass/we-are-essentially-a-beautiful-fluke-as-are-the-millions-of-other/) [Wendy Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-mass/) > [“Humans are only one species of millions. To kill millions of species for the benefit of one is insane, just as killing millions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aric-mcbay/humans-are-only-one-species-of-millions-to-kill-millions-of-species/) [Aric McBay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aric-mcbay/) > [There are millions and millions of species, including organisms most people have never heard of. There is so much that waits to be told.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/there-are-millions-and-millions-of-species-including-organisms-most/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [We share this planet, our home, with millions of species. Justice and sustainability both demand that we do not use more resources than we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/we-share-this-planet-our-home-with-millions-of-species-justice-and/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [“Those are some of the things that molecules do, given four billion years of evolution”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/those-are-some-of-the-things-that-molecules-do-given-four-billion/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“fossils show that life started on earth around 3.5 billion years ago, relatively soon after the earth itself formed, and almost immediately after the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fossils-show-that-life-started-on-earth-around-3-5-billion-years-ago/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Our galaxy is 10 billion years old. The Earth is only 4.5 billion years old. We are a firefly flicker in the great astrobiology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-marcy/our-galaxy-is-10-billion-years-old-the-earth-is-only-4-5-billion/) [Geoffrey Marcy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-marcy/) > [Give consideration to the fact that alien astronomers could have scrutinized Earth for more than 4 billion years without detecting any radio signals, despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/give-consideration-to-the-fact-that-alien-astronomers-could-have/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [The world isn't fast-paced, it's frenetic. People have to be managers of themselves. Time has been managing itself for 15 billion years; we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-buzan/the-world-isn-t-fast-paced-it-s-frenetic-people-have-to-be-managers/) [Tony Buzan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-buzan/) > [We have won the time lottery of the last 4 billion years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/we-have-won-the-time-lottery-of-the-last-4-billion-years/) [Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/) > [What sort of date are you? Come on then, tightwad. Chips are on me. We've only got five billion years 'til the shops close.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tyler/what-sort-of-date-are-you-come-on-then-tightwad-chips-are-on-me-we-ve/) [Rose Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tyler/) > [The universe is simmering down, like a giant stew left to cook for four billion years. Sooner or later we won’t be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-bloch/the-universe-is-simmering-down-like-a-giant-stew-left-to-cook-for/) [Arthur Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-bloch/) ## More by Michael Shermer > [I’m a skeptic not because I do not want to believe, but because I want to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/i-m-a-skeptic-not-because-i-do-not-want-to-believe-but-because-i-want/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [“According to Dembski, for example, “scientific creationism has prior religious commitments whereas intelligent design does not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/according-to-dembski-for-example-scientific-creationism-has-prior/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [The first-cause and prime-mover argument, brilliantly proffered by St. Thomas Aquinas in the fourteenth century (and brilliantly refuted by David Hume in the eighteenth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/the-first-cause-and-prime-mover-argument-brilliantly-proffered-by-st/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [“Mind is just a word we use to describe neural activity in the brain. No brain, no mind. We know this because if a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/mind-is-just-a-word-we-use-to-describe-neural-activity-in-the-brain/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [Through no divine design or cosmic plan, we have inherited the mantle of life's caretaker on the earth, the only home we have ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/through-no-divine-design-or-cosmic-plan-we-have-inherited-the-mantle/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [I always accepted the libertarian position of minimum regulation in the sale and use of firearms because I placed guns under the beneficial rubric…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/i-always-accepted-the-libertarian-position-of-minimum-regulation-in/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [If spirituality is the sense of awe and humility in the face of the creation, what could be more awesome and humbling than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/if-spirituality-is-the-sense-of-awe-and-humility-in-the-face-of-the/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [We know evolution happened not because of transitional fossils such as A. natans but because of the convergence of evidence from such diverse fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/we-know-evolution-happened-not-because-of-transitional-fossils-such/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [“Yet basically, libertarians are for freedom and liberty for individuals, while recognizing that in order to be free we must also be protected. Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/yet-basically-libertarians-are-for-freedom-and-liberty-for/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [Scientists like Bjorn Lomborg in The Skeptical Environmentalist have, in my opinion, properly nailed environmental extremists for these exaggerated scenarios.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/scientists-like-bjorn-lomborg-in-the-skeptical-environmentalist-have/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [When religious believers invoke miracles and acts of creation ex nihilo, that is the end of the search for them, whereas for scientists, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/when-religious-believers-invoke-miracles-and-acts-of-creation-ex/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [Darwin matters because evolution matters. Evolution matters because science matters. Science matters because it is the preeminent story of our age, an epic saga…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/darwin-matters-because-evolution-matters-evolution-matters-because/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [What can be more soul shaking than peering through a 100-inch telescope at a distant galaxy, holding a 100-million-year-old fossil or a 500,000-year-old stone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/what-can-be-more-soul-shaking-than-peering-through-a-100-inch/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [Skepticism is not a position that you stake out ahead of time and stick to no matter what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/skepticism-is-not-a-position-that-you-stake-out-ahead-of-time-and/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [“Neuroscientist David Comings drew out the larger implications of such hallucinations for the relationship between our rational and spiritual brains: The psychedelic drugs like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/neuroscientist-david-comings-drew-out-the-larger-implications-of-such/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) [Explore all 160 Michael Shermer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) ## More Astronomy quotes > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [Wen daylight turns to a darkened hue, D lovely stars hinting at u, ur heart beat tells u something true, That some 1 badly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butterfly-kisses/wen-daylight-turns-to-a-darkened-hue-d-lovely-stars-hinting-at-u-ur/) Butterfly\_Kisses > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [From the grasses in the field to the stars in the sky, each one is doing just that; and there is such profound peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/from-the-grasses-in-the-field-to-the-stars-in-the-sky-each-one-is/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“Sentinels of trees breathe life into bodies of earthly flesh As their mighty arms reach to the stars we join in their quest for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/sentinels-of-trees-breathe-life-into-bodies-of-earthly-flesh-as-their/) [Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/) > [“If there are no stars on the sky, you must try to be happy with the shining streetlights!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-there-are-no-stars-on-the-sky-you-must-try-to-be-happy-with-the/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/) Nicole Gentile > [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/) [Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/) > [“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars." ... quote has been credited to Les Brown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylviek/shoot-for-the-moon-even-if-you-miss-it-you-will-land-among-the-stars/) Sylviek > [When certain stars take you under their wing, it does help as they gauge your potential and are willing to work with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-bhatt/when-certain-stars-take-you-under-their-wing-it-does-help-as-they/) [Vikram Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-bhatt/) > [We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life. We see the stars, and we want them. We are beholden to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-were-put-here-as-witnesses-to-the-miracle-of-life-we-see-the-stars/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) [Browse all 6,190 Astronomy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What science tells us is that we are but one among hundreds of millions of species that evolved over the course of three and a half billion years on one tiny planet among many orbiting an ordinary star, itself one of possibly billions of solar systems in an ordinary galaxy that contains hundreds of billions of stars, itself located in a cluster of galaxies not so different from millions of other galaxy clusters, themselves whirling away from one another in an expanding cosmic bubble universe that very possibly is only one among a near infinite number of bubble universes.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Shermer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/what-science-tells-us-is-that-we-are-but-one-among-hundreds-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Astronomy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/what-science-tells-us-is-that-we-are-but-one-among-hundreds-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/michael-shermer-2567_astronomy_what-science-tells-us-is-that-we-are-but_2616087.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/michael-shermer-2567_astronomy_what-science-tells-us-is-that-we-are-but_2616087.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb9/michael-shermer-2567_astronomy_what-science-tells-us-is-that-we-are-but_2616087.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What science tells us is that we are but one among hundreds of millions of species that evolved over the…” — Michael Shermer", "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 Shermer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“What science tells us is that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/what-science-tells-us-is-that-we-are-but-one-among-hundreds-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/what-science-tells-us-is-that-we-are-but-one-among-hundreds-of/#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 } } ] } ```