--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In such systems, there is unquestioning…" description: "\"In such systems, there is unquestioning respect for authority. Faith trumps evidence. But if indeed this is broadly the explanation for how co-operativ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/robert-may-baron-may-of-oxford_adapting_in-such-systems-there-is-unquestioning-r_3079363.jpg" --- # In such systems, there is unquestioning respect for… ![“In such systems, there is unquestioning respect for authority. Faith trumps evidence. But if indeed this is broadly the explanation for how co-operative behaviour has evolved and been maintained in human societies, it could be very bad news. Because although such authoritarian systems seem to be…” quote by Robert May, Baron May of Oxford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/robert-may-baron-may-of-oxford_adapting_in-such-systems-there-is-unquestioning-r_3079363.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/robert-may-baron-may-of-oxford_adapting_in-such-systems-there-is-unquestioning-r_3079363.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/robert-may-baron-may-of-oxford_adapting_in-such-systems-there-is-unquestioning-r_3079363.jpg) > “In such systems, there is unquestioning respect for authority. Faith trumps evidence. But if indeed this is broadly the explanation for how co-operative behaviour has evolved and been maintained in human societies, it could be very bad news. Because although such authoritarian systems seem to be good at preserving social coherence and an orderly society, they are, by the same token, not good at adapting to change.” Robert May, Baron May of Oxford ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authority can enforce order but hinders adaptability, making societies fragile to change. **In simple terms:** Authority preserves order but blocks change. Key Takeaway Balance respect with flexibility. Themes authority cooperation adaptation social cohesion Mood cautious analytical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - government policy - organizational change - community leadership - crisis response Key Concepts social psychology evolutionary theory institutional inertia Questions to Reflect On - How can societies maintain cohesion while encouraging adaptability? - What mechanisms can counteract authoritarian inertia? A Different Perspective Rigid authority may suppress innovation and critical thinking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adapting to change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adapting-to-change/) [Authoritarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authoritarian/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Behaviour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behaviour/) [Coherence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coherence/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Human society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-society/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) ## Related quotes > [In the evolution of mankind there has always been a certain degree of social coherence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-read/in-the-evolution-of-mankind-there-has-always-been-a-certain-degree-of/) [Herbert Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-read/) > [“Yet I’ve noticed the same thing when your band plays — the most amazing social coherence, as if you all shared the same brain."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/yet-i-ve-noticed-the-same-thing-when-your-band-plays-the-most-amazing/) [Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/) > [When the newly formed middle class in China begins to perceive its interests and discovers the value of the rule of law, the existing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-august-winkler/when-the-newly-formed-middle-class-in-china-begins-to-perceive-its/) [Heinrich August Winkler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-august-winkler/) > [We have power... 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Authoritarianism in the Internet Age is not your old Cold War authoritarianism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/authoritarian-systems-evolve-authoritarianism-in-the-internet-age-is/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [“You find the most outrageous deviants in the countries with the most authoritarian systems.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/you-find-the-most-outrageous-deviants-in-the-countries-with-the-most/) [Amélie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [If you always do what you did, you'll always get what you got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-diamond/if-you-always-do-what-you-did-you-ll-always-get-what-you-got/) Marian Diamond > [“Personal struggles, mistakes, and perseverance are part of every person’s life story. A proper mindset can turn failure into a gift. 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The ones who see things differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/here-s-to-the-crazy-ones-the-misfits-the-rebels-the-troublemakers-the-2/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [Instead of constantly adapting to change, why not change to be adaptive?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-emery/instead-of-constantly-adapting-to-change-why-not-change-to-be-adaptive/) Fred Emery > [In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/in-the-struggle-for-survival-the-fittest-win-out-at-the-expense-of/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [“Adapting to change, then, means going through the stress of withdrawal from the old normality and finding relief when a new normality is established.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-g-may/adapting-to-change-then-means-going-through-the-stress-of-withdrawal/) [Gerald G. May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-g-may/) > [“ Iron does not take a single form whilst forsaking all others. The strength of iron is in its flexibility, its capacity to adapt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-westbrook/iron-does-not-take-a-single-form-whilst-forsaking-all-others-the/) Matt Westbrook > [“Stepping outside your comfort zone isn’t a walk in the park, but the treasures that await you are like paths paved with gold.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/stepping-outside-your-comfort-zone-isn-t-a-walk-in-the-park-but-the/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) ## More by Robert May, Baron May of Oxford > [We share half our genes with the banana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-may-baron-may-of-oxford/we-share-half-our-genes-with-the-banana/) Robert May, Baron May of Oxford > [We share half our genes with the banana. \[After the announcement Jun 2000 that a working draft of the genetic sequence of humans had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-may-baron-may-of-oxford/we-share-half-our-genes-with-the-banana-after-the-announcement-jun/) Robert May, Baron May of Oxford Explore all 3 Robert May, Baron May of Oxford quotes ## More Adapting quotes > [For a struggling filmmaker running low on ideas, public domain is all we have for adapting books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-isaac-chung/for-a-struggling-filmmaker-running-low-on-ideas-public-domain-is-all/) [Lee Isaac Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-isaac-chung/) > [If I can do concert recitals, adapting the repertoire to my needs, then no problem, that's good enough. 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