--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I shall borrow two words used for a…" description: "\"I shall borrow two words used for a slightly different purpose by the great demographer Alfred Lotka to distinguish between the two systems of heredity..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55f/peter-medawar-9996_animal_i-shall-borrow-two-words-used-for-a-slig_2434200.jpg" --- # I shall borrow two words used for a slightly different… ![“I shall borrow two words used for a slightly different purpose by the great demographer Alfred Lotka to distinguish between the two systems of heredity enjoyed by man: endosomatic or internal heredity for the ordinary or genetical heredity we have in common with animals; and exosomatic or external…” quote by Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55f/peter-medawar-9996_animal_i-shall-borrow-two-words-used-for-a-slig_2434200.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55f/peter-medawar-9996_animal_i-shall-borrow-two-words-used-for-a-slig_2434200.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55f/peter-medawar-9996_animal_i-shall-borrow-two-words-used-for-a-slig_2434200.jpg) > “I shall borrow two words used for a slightly different purpose by the great demographer Alfred Lotka to distinguish between the two systems of heredity enjoyed by man: endosomatic or internal heredity for the ordinary or genetical heredity we have in common with animals; and exosomatic or external heredity for the non-genetic heredity that is peculiarly our own - the heredity that is mediated through tradition, by which I mean the transfer of information through non-genetic channels from one generation to the next.” [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human cultural inheritance (exosomatic) differs from biological inheritance, shaping societies through learned knowledge. **In simple terms:** Culture passes knowledge across generations, unlike genes. Key Takeaway Cultivate and share knowledge across generations. Themes culture inheritance learning society Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - education - family traditions - media - technology adoption Key Concepts memetics cultural evolution information transfer Questions to Reflect On - How does cultural inheritance shape your identity? - What role does biology play in cultural change? A Different Perspective Biological factors also influence behavior, limiting cultural control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Heredity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heredity/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) ## Related quotes > [Heredity proposes and development disposes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/heredity-proposes-and-development-disposes/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [The purpose of feminism is to free the uniqueness of the individual and to understand that inside each of us is a unique human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-purpose-of-feminism-is-to-free-the-uniqueness-of-the-individual/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Nothing is so soothing to our self-esteem as to find our bad traits in our forebears. It seems to absolve us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-wyck-brooks/nothing-is-so-soothing-to-our-self-esteem-as-to-find-our-bad-traits/) [Van Wyck Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-wyck-brooks/) > [For the fundamental fact of human psychology is that society, instead of remaining almost entirely inside the individual organism as in the case of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/for-the-fundamental-fact-of-human-psychology-is-that-society-instead/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [I believe a unique core self is born into every human being; the result of millennia of environment and heredity combined in an unpredictable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-believe-a-unique-core-self-is-born-into-every-human-being-the/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Heredity, to our understanding is not capable of giving to this illness (paraphilia) its characteristic form ... Heredity invents nothing, creates nothing anew; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-binet/heredity-to-our-understanding-is-not-capable-of-giving-to-this/) [Alfred Binet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-binet/) > [Tobacco, UV rays, viruses, heredity, and age are the main causes of cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-e-varmus/tobacco-uv-rays-viruses-heredity-and-age-are-the-main-causes-of-cancer/) [Harold E. Varmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-e-varmus/) > [Heredity is nothing but stored environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luther-burbank/heredity-is-nothing-but-stored-environment/) [Luther Burbank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luther-burbank/) > [Recently, results of the Human Genome Project have shattered one of Science's fundamental core beliefs, the concept of genetic determinism. We have been led…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-h-lipton/recently-results-of-the-human-genome-project-have-shattered-one-of/) [Bruce H. Lipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-h-lipton/) > [Heredity is a splendid phenomenon that relieves us of responsibility for our shortcomings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-larson/heredity-is-a-splendid-phenomenon-that-relieves-us-of-responsibility/) [Doug Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-larson/) > [All illnesses have some heredity contribution. It's been said that genetics loads the gun and environment pulls the trigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/all-illnesses-have-some-heredity-contribution-it-s-been-said-that/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [When it comes to explaining human thought and behavior, the possibility that heredity plays any role at all still has the power to shock.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/when-it-comes-to-explaining-human-thought-and-behavior-the/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [It has been said that a man of genius should select his ancestors with great care - and yet there does not seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/it-has-been-said-that-a-man-of-genius-should-select-his-ancestors/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [For Scotland has a double dose of the poison called heredity; the sense of blood in the aristocrat, the sense of doom in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/for-scotland-has-a-double-dose-of-the-poison-called-heredity-the/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [To defy heredity is to defy billions of years, to defy the first cell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/to-defy-heredity-is-to-defy-billions-of-years-to-defy-the-first-cell/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) ## More by Peter Medawar > [The USA is so enormous, and so numerous are its schools, colleges and religious seminaries, many devoted to special religious beliefs ranging from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/the-usa-is-so-enormous-and-so-numerous-are-its-schools-colleges-and/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [Innocent, unbiased observation is a myth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/innocent-unbiased-observation-is-a-myth/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [An experiment not worth doing is not worth doing well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/an-experiment-not-worth-doing-is-not-worth-doing-well/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [Science is the art of the solvable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/science-is-the-art-of-the-solvable/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [ \[A certain class of explanations in science are\] analgesics that dull the ache of incomprehension without removing the cause. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/a-certain-class-of-explanations-in-science-are-analgesics-that-dull/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [Twice in my life I have spent two weary and scientifically profitless years seeking evidence to corroborate dearly loved hypotheses that later proved to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/twice-in-my-life-i-have-spent-two-weary-and-scientifically-profitless/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [If politics is the art of the possible, research is surely the art of the soluble. Both are immensely practical-minded affairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/if-politics-is-the-art-of-the-possible-research-is-surely-the-art-of/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [Ask a scientist what he conceives the scientific method to be and he will adopt an expression that is at once solemn and shifty-eyed:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/ask-a-scientist-what-he-conceives-the-scientific-method-to-be-and-he/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [The human mind treats a new idea the way the body treats a strange protein; it rejects it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/the-human-mind-treats-a-new-idea-the-way-the-body-treats-a-strange/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [I once spoke to a human geneticist who declared that the notion of intelligence was quite meaningless, so I tried calling him unintelligent. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/i-once-spoke-to-a-human-geneticist-who-declared-that-the-notion-of/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [I reckon that for all the use it has been to science about four-fifths of my time has been wasted, and I believe this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/i-reckon-that-for-all-the-use-it-has-been-to-science-about-four/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [We shall not read it for its sociological insights, which are non-existent, nor as science fiction, because it has a general air of implausibility;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/we-shall-not-read-it-for-its-sociological-insights-which-are-non/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [The Phenomenon of Man stands square in the tradition of Naturphilosophie, a philosophical indoor pastime of German origin which does not seem even by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/the-phenomenon-of-man-stands-square-in-the-tradition-of/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [If a person is A) poorly, B) receives treatment intended to make him better, and C) gets better, then no power of reasoning known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/if-a-person-is-a-poorly-b-receives-treatment-intended-to-make-him/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [We cannot point to a single definitive solution of any one of the problems that confront us — political, economic, social or moral, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/we-cannot-point-to-a-single-definitive-solution-of-any-one-of-the/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) [Explore all 68 Peter Medawar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) Mak\_786 > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I shall borrow two words used for a slightly different purpose by the great demographer Alfred Lotka to distinguish between the two systems of heredity enjoyed by man: endosomatic or internal heredity for the ordinary or genetical heredity we have in common with animals; and exosomatic or external heredity for the non-genetic heredity that is peculiarly our own - the heredity that is mediated through tradition, by which I mean the transfer of information through non-genetic channels from one generation to the next.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Medawar" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/i-shall-borrow-two-words-used-for-a-slightly-different-purpose-by-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/i-shall-borrow-two-words-used-for-a-slightly-different-purpose-by-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55f/peter-medawar-9996_animal_i-shall-borrow-two-words-used-for-a-slig_2434200.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55f/peter-medawar-9996_animal_i-shall-borrow-two-words-used-for-a-slig_2434200.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55f/peter-medawar-9996_animal_i-shall-borrow-two-words-used-for-a-slig_2434200.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I shall borrow two words used for a slightly different purpose by the great demographer Alfred Lotka to…” — Peter Medawar", "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": "Peter Medawar", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I shall borrow two words used...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/i-shall-borrow-two-words-used-for-a-slightly-different-purpose-by-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/i-shall-borrow-two-words-used-for-a-slightly-different-purpose-by-the/#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 } } ] } ```