--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The theory of evolution explains to us…" description: "\"The theory of evolution explains to us what our ancestry has been. It does not explain away our worth. Why should we be afraid to learn more about what..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a35/philip-kitcher-4028_ancestry_the-theory-of-evolution-explains-to-us-w_2163245.jpg" --- # The theory of evolution explains to us what our ancestry… ![“The theory of evolution explains to us what our ancestry has been. It does not explain away our worth. Why should we be afraid to learn more about what we are?” quote by Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a35/philip-kitcher-4028_ancestry_the-theory-of-evolution-explains-to-us-w_2163245.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a35/philip-kitcher-4028_ancestry_the-theory-of-evolution-explains-to-us-w_2163245.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a35/philip-kitcher-4028_ancestry_the-theory-of-evolution-explains-to-us-w_2163245.jpg) > “The theory of evolution explains to us what our ancestry has been. It does not explain away our worth. Why should we be afraid to learn more about what we are?” [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Evolutionary theory explains biological ancestry but does not determine human worth; learning about our origins should not diminish self‑value. **In simple terms:** Evolution explains origins, not worth. Key Takeaway Recognize worth beyond biology. Themes science philosophy human nature self‑esteem education Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - school curricula - public lectures - personal reflection - media discussions Key Concepts evolutionary biology ethics existentialism Questions to Reflect On - Why does knowing our ancestry matter? - How can we separate biological facts from moral worth? A Different Perspective Some may misuse evolution to justify inequality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancestry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestry/) [Ancestry Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestry-does-3444060/) [Biology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biology/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Evolution Explains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution-explains-4321615/) [Explains Ancestry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explains-ancestry-4598895/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory/) [Theory of evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory-of-evolution/) [Worth Afraid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-afraid-1821948/) ## Related quotes > [People are always asking me where I come from, and they're expecting me to say India, and they're absolutely right insofar as 100 percent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/people-are-always-asking-me-where-i-come-from-and-they-re-expecting/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [Dawkins asserts that final causes and design don't really exist. Unguided evolution explains it all. Francis Crick thought the same thing but was afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-turek/dawkins-asserts-that-final-causes-and-design-don-t-really-exist/) [Frank Turek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-turek/) > [“I tell people not to be afraid of their fears; because their fears are not there to scare them, they're there to let them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/i-tell-people-not-to-be-afraid-of-their-fears-because-their-fears-are/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [Evolution explains our biological evolution, but human beings are very unique creatures. As the Dobzhansky said, all animals are unique; humans are the uniquest.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/evolution-explains-our-biological-evolution-but-human-beings-are-very/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [“He had learned a long time ago that some things were worth being afraid of. And some things were not. Things that he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/he-had-learned-a-long-time-ago-that-some-things-were-worth-being/) [Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/) > [“Richard Dawkins and his followers have recycled the theory of evolution not as a biological theory but as a theory of everything – of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/richard-dawkins-and-his-followers-have-recycled-the-theory-of/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“Darwin’s theory of evolution, at least in its author’s eyes, dealt solely with the natural world. Yet it was as attractive to political theorists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/darwin-s-theory-of-evolution-at-least-in-its-author-s-eyes-dealt/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [ To my mind, the theory of \[evolution\] does not stand up at all. If living matter is not, then, caused by the interplay of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lipson/to-my-mind-the-theory-of-evolution-does-not-stand-up-at-all-if-living/) [Henry Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lipson/) > [“The boys lived in their own simple, carefree world, unconcerned with hygiene and unaware of the theory of evolution. Yet ruthless natural selection—further intensified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-boys-lived-in-their-own-simple-carefree-world-unconcerned-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The theory of evolution is totally inadequate to explain the origin and manifestation of the inorganic world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ambrose-fleming/the-theory-of-evolution-is-totally-inadequate-to-explain-the-origin/) [John Ambrose Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ambrose-fleming/) > [Those who cavalierly reject the Theory of Evolution, as not adequately supported by facts, seem quite to forget that their own theory it supported…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/those-who-cavalierly-reject-the-theory-of-evolution-as-not-adequately/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [“New Rule: You don't have to teach both sides of a debate if one side is a load of crap. President Bush recently suggested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-you-don-t-have-to-teach-both-sides-of-a-debate-if-one-side/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [To suppose that the eye could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest possible degree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/to-suppose-that-the-eye-could-have-been-formed-by-natural-selection/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [ The theory \[of evolution\] is a scientific mistake. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-agassiz/the-theory-of-evolution-is-a-scientific-mistake/) [Louis Agassiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-agassiz/) > [I believe in the theory of evolution, but I believe as well in the allegorical truth of creation theory. In other words, I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-langan/i-believe-in-the-theory-of-evolution-but-i-believe-as-well-in-the/) [Christopher Langan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-langan/) ## More by Philip Kitcher > [I'm a fan of Hugh Kenner, Richard Ellman, Lionel Trilling and Frank Kermode. All these people have taught me how to read - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/i-m-a-fan-of-hugh-kenner-richard-ellman-lionel-trilling-and-frank/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [Refined religion is aimed at realizing ethical values, including the fostering of human lives and human communities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/refined-religion-is-aimed-at-realizing-ethical-values-including-the/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [Many of the greatest works of philosophy seem to me to be valuable not because of their arguments, but because they offer us perspectives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/many-of-the-greatest-works-of-philosophy-seem-to-me-to-be-valuable/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [As I read Mann in German for the first time, the full achievement - both literary and philosophical - of Death in Venice struck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/as-i-read-mann-in-german-for-the-first-time-the-full-achievement-both/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [Look at Mann's reading habits, his explicit comments on Nietzsche, and his copy of Birth of Tragedy, and it starts to seem doubtful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/look-at-mann-s-reading-habits-his-explicit-comments-on-nietzsche-and/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [My ethical naturalism sees us as facing the predicament of being social animals without evolved adaptations that make social life easy. The fundamental problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/my-ethical-naturalism-sees-us-as-facing-the-predicament-of-being/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [So my methodological approach is to draw on many different features in highlighting different facets of the novella (and the opera and the film).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/so-my-methodological-approach-is-to-draw-on-many-different-features/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [In my view, we ought to replace the notion of analytic philosophy by that of synthetic philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/in-my-view-we-ought-to-replace-the-notion-of-analytic-philosophy-by/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [Philosophers ought to aspire to know lots of different things and to forge useful synthetic perspectives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/philosophers-ought-to-aspire-to-know-lots-of-different-things-and-to/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [The balance between literature and philosophy in Schopenhauer and Nietzsche is different from that struck in the novella, but, as Mann clearly pointed out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/the-balance-between-literature-and-philosophy-in-schopenhauer-and/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [I don't think that anything of any consequence is known a priori: all our knowledge is built up by modifying the lore passed on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/i-don-t-think-that-anything-of-any-consequence-is-known-a-priori-all/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [Because the problems are objective features of the human situation - social animals without the capacities for making social life come easily - ethics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/because-the-problems-are-objective-features-of-the-human-situation/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [I'm very concerned about the increasing distortion of research by the intrusion of the market. Universities are beginning to see science as a means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/i-m-very-concerned-about-the-increasing-distortion-of-research-by-the/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [There's a disciplined erotic component to it, so that the height of sexual contact is the embrace, the modest touch, a relatively chaste kiss.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/there-s-a-disciplined-erotic-component-to-it-so-that-the-height-of/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [The classical allusions and the Platonic disquisitions on beauty are no longer a form of cover, but integral to Aschenbach's complex sexuality. Moreover, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/the-classical-allusions-and-the-platonic-disquisitions-on-beauty-are/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) [Explore all 117 Philip Kitcher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) ## More Ancestry quotes > [It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-worthwhile-for-anyone-to-have-behind-him-a-few-generations-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Blood is a destiny. One's genius descends in the stream from long lines of ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/blood-is-a-destiny-one-s-genius-descends-in-the-stream-from-long/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [High birth is an accident, not a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/high-birth-is-an-accident-not-a-virtue/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [Being a mixed-blood person of Ojibway and European ancestry, I always found that I only heard one side of the story - that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-boyden/being-a-mixed-blood-person-of-ojibway-and-european-ancestry-i-always/) [Joseph Boyden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-boyden/) > [Bird taxonomy is a difficult field because of the severe anatomical constraints imposed by flight. There are only so many ways to design a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/bird-taxonomy-is-a-difficult-field-because-of-the-severe-anatomical/) [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) > [I've got German, Cornish and Scottish ancestry. It might help explain my affinity for forests, the sea, and fatty foods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-maclachlan/i-ve-got-german-cornish-and-scottish-ancestry-it-might-help-explain/) [Kyle MacLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-maclachlan/) > [“I have always found it difficult not to be moved by Jerusalem, even when I hated it—and God knows I have hated it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-abulhawa/i-have-always-found-it-difficult-not-to-be-moved-by-jerusalem-even/) [Susan Abulhawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-abulhawa/) > [I've never felt grounded because of my ancestry or my gender. I think until women get away from that they're not going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-ve-never-felt-grounded-because-of-my-ancestry-or-my-gender-i-think/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I get anxious. That lovely Jewish guilt that comes with ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-rudolph/i-get-anxious-that-lovely-jewish-guilt-that-comes-with-ancestry/) [Maya Rudolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-rudolph/) > [The function of the artist is to disturb. His duty is to arouse the sleeper, to shake the complacent pillars of the world. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-bethune/the-function-of-the-artist-is-to-disturb-his-duty-is-to-arouse-the/) [Norman Bethune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-bethune/) > [Both the ancestry and posterity of Grief go further than the ancestry and posterity of Joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/both-the-ancestry-and-posterity-of-grief-go-further-than-the-ancestry/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [I wasn't trying to work out my own ancestry. I was trying to get people to feel slavery. I was trying to get across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wasn-t-trying-to-work-out-my-own-ancestry-i-was-trying-to-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Ancestry is not destiny,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/ancestry-is-not-destiny/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > […Even the idea of a city never entered his mind. It was as if he had walked under the millimeter of haze just above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/even-the-idea-of-a-city-never-entered-his-mind-it-was-as-if-he-had/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) [Browse all 256 Ancestry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestry/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The theory of evolution explains to us what our ancestry has been. It does not explain away our worth. Why should we be afraid to learn more about what we are?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip Kitcher" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/the-theory-of-evolution-explains-to-us-what-our-ancestry-has-been-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ancestry" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/the-theory-of-evolution-explains-to-us-what-our-ancestry-has-been-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a35/philip-kitcher-4028_ancestry_the-theory-of-evolution-explains-to-us-w_2163245.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a35/philip-kitcher-4028_ancestry_the-theory-of-evolution-explains-to-us-w_2163245.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a35/philip-kitcher-4028_ancestry_the-theory-of-evolution-explains-to-us-w_2163245.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The theory of evolution explains to us what our ancestry has been. It does not explain away our worth. Why…” — Philip Kitcher", "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": "Philip Kitcher", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The theory of evolution explains to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/the-theory-of-evolution-explains-to-us-what-our-ancestry-has-been-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/the-theory-of-evolution-explains-to-us-what-our-ancestry-has-been-it/#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 } } ] } ```