Evolution Quote by Richard Dawkins
““We are survival machines-robot vehicles blindly programmer to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes. This is a truth which still fills me with astonishment. Though I have known it for years, I never seem to get fully used to it.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins, 1976
Humans are vehicles designed by evolution to propagate genes, a concept that remains awe‑inspiring and unsettling.
In simple terms: We are gene‑driven machines.
Key Takeaway
Accept our evolutionary nature.
Themes
evolution
biology
selfishness
Mood
wonder
reflection
philosophical
Type
scientific
philosophical
When to use this quote
- medical education
- public health policy
- personal identity discussions
Key Concepts
genetics
memetics
determinism
Questions to Reflect On
- How does this view affect moral responsibility?
- Can we transcend our genetic programming?
A Different Perspective
It may oversimplify human complexity and free will.
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
