--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With the eventual acceptance of Darwin's…" description: "\"With the eventual acceptance of Darwin's theory we reach a modern understanding of nature, one which has since then changed in detail rather than in fu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/246/peter-singer-1001_acceptance_with-the-eventual-acceptance-of-darwin-s_569435.jpg" --- # With the eventual acceptance of Darwin's theory we reach a… ![“With the eventual acceptance of Darwin's theory we reach a modern understanding of nature, one which has since then changed in detail rather than in fundamentals. Only those who prefer religious faith to beliefs based on reasoning and evidence can still maintain that the human species is the…” quote by Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/246/peter-singer-1001_acceptance_with-the-eventual-acceptance-of-darwin-s_569435.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/246/peter-singer-1001_acceptance_with-the-eventual-acceptance-of-darwin-s_569435.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/246/peter-singer-1001_acceptance_with-the-eventual-acceptance-of-darwin-s_569435.jpg) > “With the eventual acceptance of Darwin's theory we reach a modern understanding of nature, one which has since then changed in detail rather than in fundamentals. Only those who prefer religious faith to beliefs based on reasoning and evidence can still maintain that the human species is the special darling of the entire universe, or that other animals were created to provide us with food, or that we have divine authority over them, and divine permission to kill them.” [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) ## 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 scientific understanding of nature undermines religious claims of human superiority and justifies ethical treatment of animals based on reason and evidence. **In simple terms:** Science challenges religious claims of human dominance over animals. Key Takeaway Adopt evidence‑based ethics toward animals. Themes ethics science animal rights religion humanism Mood thoughtful critical inquisitive Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - policy making - education - personal belief systems - activism Key Concepts moral philosophy anthropocentrism speciesism Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile scientific facts with personal faith? - What responsibilities arise from recognizing animal sentience? 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Their coverage of nonhuman animals is dominated by "human interest" events like the birth of a baby gorilla at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-newspapers-do-little-better-their-coverage-of-nonhuman-animals-is/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Typically, defenders of experiments on animals do not deny that animals suffer. They cannot deny the animals' suffering, because they need to stress the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/typically-defenders-of-experiments-on-animals-do-not-deny-that/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [ Whatever the reason, for most of the present century, the literature and publicity of the old established \[animal welfare\] groups made a significant contribution… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/whatever-the-reason-for-most-of-the-present-century-the-literature/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Sometimes animals may suffer more because of their more limited understanding. If, for instance, we are taking prisoners in wartime we can explain to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/sometimes-animals-may-suffer-more-because-of-their-more-limited/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [...the nervous systems of other animals were not artificially constructed - as a robot might be artificially constructed - to mimic the pain behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-nervous-systems-of-other-animals-were-not-artificially/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Pain and suffering are in themselves bad and should be prevented or minimized, irrespective of the race, sex, or species of the being that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/pain-and-suffering-are-in-themselves-bad-and-should-be-prevented-or/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [The statement "I am in pain" may be one piece of evidence for the conclusion that the speaker is in pain, but it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-statement-i-am-in-pain-may-be-one-piece-of-evidence-for-the/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Should one break in and free the animals? That is illegal, but the obligation to obey the law is not absolute. It was justifiably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/should-one-break-in-and-free-the-animals-that-is-illegal-but-the/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Once we ask why it should be that all human beings - including infants, the intellectually disabled, criminal psychopaths, Hitler, Stalin, and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/once-we-ask-why-it-should-be-that-all-human-beings-including-infants/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Even people who are aware that the traditional family farm has been taken over by big business interests, and that some questionable experiments go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/even-people-who-are-aware-that-the-traditional-family-farm-has-been/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [The animal liberation movement is saying that where animals and humans have similar interests - we might take the interest in avoiding physical pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-animal-liberation-movement-is-saying-that-where-animals-and/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [If animals are no longer quite outside the moral sphere, they are still in a special section near the outer rim. Their interests are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/if-animals-are-no-longer-quite-outside-the-moral-sphere-they-are/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [By ceasing to rear and kill animals for food, we can make so much extra food available for humans that, properly distributed, it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/by-ceasing-to-rear-and-kill-animals-for-food-we-can-make-so-much/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Racists violate the principle of equality by giving greater weight to the interests of members of their own race when there is a clash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/racists-violate-the-principle-of-equality-by-giving-greater-weight-to/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) ## More by Peter Singer > [I have never really been fond of animals. I certainly wasn't an 'animal lover' when I became involved in the movement. I just came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-have-never-really-been-fond-of-animals-i-certainly-wasn-t-an-animal/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Knowledge is generally considered a good thing; so, presumably, knowing more about how the U.S. thinks and operates around the world is also good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/knowledge-is-generally-considered-a-good-thing-so-presumably-knowing/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [The price we are willing to pay for safety cannot be infinite. It is distasteful to put a price on human life, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-price-we-are-willing-to-pay-for-safety-cannot-be-infinite-it-is/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governments would have only two options: accept the Internet with its limitless possibilities of spreading information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-hope-of-internet-anarchists-was-that-repressive-governments-would/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [ Nineteen thousand children \[are\] dying every day. Does it really matter that we're not walking past them in the street? Does it really matter… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/nineteen-thousand-children-are-dying-every-day-does-it-really-matter/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“The unchallenged assumption is that humans may use animals for their own purposes, and they may raise and kill them to satisfy their preference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-unchallenged-assumption-is-that-humans-may-use-animals-for-their/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Beginning to reason is like stepping onto an escalator that leads upward and out of sight. Once we take the first step, the distance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/beginning-to-reason-is-like-stepping-onto-an-escalator-that-leads/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“Population growth is not a reason against giving aid but a reason for reconsidering the kind of aid to give.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/population-growth-is-not-a-reason-against-giving-aid-but-a-reason-for/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Well the real concept of basic needs if you cut it right down are simply the physical needs that are unavoidable for all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/well-the-real-concept-of-basic-needs-if-you-cut-it-right-down-are/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“Dairy farmers routinely remove calves from their mothers at an early age so that the milk will be available for humans; anyone who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/dairy-farmers-routinely-remove-calves-from-their-mothers-at-an-early/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Attempts to defend amusement parks and circuses on the grounds that they 'educate' people about animals should not be taken seriously. Such enterprises are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/attempts-to-defend-amusement-parks-and-circuses-on-the-grounds-that/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“A consequence of this alienation of humans from their own nature is that they are also alienated from each other. Productive activity becomes ‘activity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/a-consequence-of-this-alienation-of-humans-from-their-own-nature-is/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“I argued against the view that the only obligation we have to strangers is to avoid harming them; but even if we were to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-argued-against-the-view-that-the-only-obligation-we-have-to/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [I believe that in this new world that we live in, we often have a responsibility, you know, to actually go beyond the thou…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/i-believe-that-in-this-new-world-that-we-live-in-we-often-have-a/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [It may be thought justifiable to require tests on animals of potentially life-saving drugs, but the same kinds of tests are used for products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/it-may-be-thought-justifiable-to-require-tests-on-animals-of/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) [Explore all 310 Peter Singer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) ## More Acceptance quotes > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Acceptance of death when it arrives is one thing, but to allow it to upstage the joys of living is ingratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-blythe/acceptance-of-death-when-it-arrives-is-one-thing-but-to-allow-it-to/) [Ronald Blythe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-blythe/) > [“Loving someone who does not love you back hurts, alot, i know. 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Happiness comes when we stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/let-us-learn-to-accept-and-appreciate-things-now-and-we-ll-find-more/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [“Love first; ask questions later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-courtney/love-first-ask-questions-later/) [Jeremy Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-courtney/) > [“There was beauty in chaos, she'd just never known it before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-linsmeier/there-was-beauty-in-chaos-she-d-just-never-known-it-before/) [Amanda Linsmeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-linsmeier/) > [Accepting the challenges in life makes it interesting and overcoming them makes it eloquent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/accepting-the-challenges-in-life-makes-it-interesting-and-overcoming/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Acceptance is the only thing you should teach. 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