--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A closer look reveals that God may never…" description: "\"“A closer look reveals that God may never have been wholly pleased with His most preferred creations in granting them the parts they have. Why did He i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/scott-atran-26630_quote_a-closer-look-reveals-that-god-may-never_486929.jpg" --- # A closer look reveals that God may never have been wholly… ![“A closer look reveals that God may never have been wholly pleased with His most preferred creations in granting them the parts they have. Why did He invert the retina and give humans (but not the octopus) a blind spot? Why, in making us upright, did He render us so liable to back problems? Why did…” quote by Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/scott-atran-26630_quote_a-closer-look-reveals-that-god-may-never_486929.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/scott-atran-26630_quote_a-closer-look-reveals-that-god-may-never_486929.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/scott-atran-26630_quote_a-closer-look-reveals-that-god-may-never_486929.jpg) > ““A closer look reveals that God may never have been wholly pleased with His most preferred creations in granting them the parts they have. Why did He invert the retina and give humans (but not the octopus) a blind spot? Why, in making us upright, did He render us so liable to back problems? Why did He give us just one head, heart, and liver instead of two? After all, having two lungs and kidneys is surely better than having one of each: if you have only one and it fails, you die; if you have two and only one fails, you live.”” [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human anatomy has quirks that seem inefficient, prompting questions about design and evolution. **In simple terms:** Our bodies have odd flaws. Key Takeaway Accept imperfections while seeking functional improvements. Themes evolution design biology Mood curious analytical Type philosophical scientific When to use this quote - medical research - prosthetic design - education on biology Key Concepts anatomical trade‑offs evolutionary constraints Questions to Reflect On - Why do we assume all biological features must be optimal? - How can recognizing imperfections inspire innovation? A Different Perspective Not all flaws are detrimental; some serve hidden purposes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [God is omnipotent; God is wholly good; and yet evil exists. There seems to be some contradiction between these three propositions, so that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-mackie/god-is-omnipotent-god-is-wholly-good-and-yet-evil-exists-there-seems/) [J. L. Mackie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-mackie/) > [ But his Lordship \[tells\]us that God is wholly here, and wholly there, and wholly every where; because he has no parts. I cannot comprehend… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/but-his-lordship-tells-us-that-god-is-wholly-here-and-wholly-there/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) > [The feeling of a direct responsibility of the individual to God is almost wholly a creation of Protestantism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-feeling-of-a-direct-responsibility-of-the-individual-to-god-is/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [“Christianity is the only religion on earth that has felt that omnipotence made God incomplete. Christianity alone has felt that God, to be wholly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/christianity-is-the-only-religion-on-earth-that-has-felt-that/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [For God is wholly present in all creation, in every corner, he is behind you and before you. Do you think he is sleeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/for-god-is-wholly-present-in-all-creation-in-every-corner-he-is/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [I do believe in Jesus as wholly God and wholly human, and I believe the human part was human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-mccrae/i-do-believe-in-jesus-as-wholly-god-and-wholly-human-and-i-believe/) [Shane McCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-mccrae/) > [God is wholly present in all creation, in every corner, behind you and before you. Do you think God is sleeping on a pillow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/god-is-wholly-present-in-all-creation-in-every-corner-behind-you-and/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“That a good man may have his back to the wall is no more than we knew already, but that God could have His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton-2/that-a-good-man-may-have-his-back-to-the-wall-is-no-more-than-we-knew/) [G. K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton-2/) > [People go through three conversions: The conversion of their head, their heart, and their pocketbook. Unfortunately, not all at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/people-go-through-three-conversions-the-conversion-of-their-head/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [Whenever in doubt and in need of some advice, follow your heart and use you head. Heart never lies but it don't mean it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin/whenever-in-doubt-and-in-need-of-some-advice-follow-your-heart-and/) [Alvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin/) > [“First with the head and then with the heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-courtenay/first-with-the-head-and-then-with-the-heart/) [Bryce Courtenay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-courtenay/) > [Keep your head and your heart going in the right direction, and you will not have to worry about your feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/keep-your-head-and-your-heart-going-in-the-right-direction-and-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Get out of your head and get into your heart. Think less, feel more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/get-out-of-your-head-and-get-into-your-heart-think-less-feel-more/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Heart weeps. Head tries to help heart. Head tells heart how it is, again: You will lose the ones you love. They will all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/heart-weeps-head-tries-to-help-heart-head-tells-heart-how-it-is-again/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I call golf with my head and my heart. I don't have any notes in front of me - it's different from basketball and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-nantz/i-call-golf-with-my-head-and-my-heart-i-don-t-have-any-notes-in-front/) [Jim Nantz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-nantz/) ## More by Scott Atran > [“All religions have core beliefs that confound these innate expectations about the world, such as faith in physically powerful but essentially bodiless deities. These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/all-religions-have-core-beliefs-that-confound-these-innate/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“There are several types of comparative analysis for garnering evidence for an evolutionary adaptation: structural or behavioral resemblance in different phyletic lines owing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/there-are-several-types-of-comparative-analysis-for-garnering/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“Everybody, whether they are religious or not, implicitly knows that religion is costly, counterfactual, and even counterintuitive. The more one accepts what is materially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/everybody-whether-they-are-religious-or-not-implicitly-knows-that/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“The individuals in a cooperative social group cannot afford to tolerate repeated defections by selfish “free riders,” such as those who hoard food or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/the-individuals-in-a-cooperative-social-group-cannot-afford-to/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“Religious ritual invariably offers a sacrificial display of commitment to supernatural agents that is materially costly and emotionally convincing. Such ritual conveys willingness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/religious-ritual-invariably-offers-a-sacrificial-display-of/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“During the first year of life, a child acquires the concept of teleomechanical agency: the child is able to perceive an object’s physical movement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/during-the-first-year-of-life-a-child-acquires-the-concept-of/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“In religious thought, a person may ride a horse into the sky (Mohammed), ascend to heaven in a chariot of fire (Elijah), rise to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/in-religious-thought-a-person-may-ride-a-horse-into-the-sky-mohammed/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“In theocratic societies, adherence to fundamentalism may enhance the fitness of fundamentalists, as opposed to nonfundamentalists, because fundamentalists are more likely to obtain productive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/in-theocratic-societies-adherence-to-fundamentalism-may-enhance-the/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“Cultures and religions exist, and are explained, to the extent that they reliably express stucturally enduring relationships among mental states and behaviors and where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/cultures-and-religions-exist-and-are-explained-to-the-extent-that/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“Then there are the secondary, mostly “social” emotions, such as anxiety, grief, guilt, pride, vengeance, and love. These may be unique to humans—hence, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/then-there-are-the-secondary-mostly-social-emotions-such-as-anxiety/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“Vengefulness signals that a breach in contract will not be tolerated at any cost, even at the price of the avenging individual’s own life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/vengefulness-signals-that-a-breach-in-contract-will-not-be-tolerated/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“In sum, the great apes arguably man1 ifest at least some aspects of teleomechanical agency and mentalistic agency (Suddendorf and Whiten 2001); however, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/in-sum-the-great-apes-arguably-man1-ifest-at-least-some-aspects-of/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“In the course of life, all such systems (i.e., the different evolutionary ridges) are somewhat functionally interdependent, as are components within each system (i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/in-the-course-of-life-all-such-systems-i-e-the-different-evolutionary/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“All religions, I claim, involve counterintuitive beliefs in supernatural beings. Moreover, such beliefs are systematically counterintuitive in the same basic ways. As we shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/all-religions-i-claim-involve-counterintuitive-beliefs-in/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) > [“Around the start of the fourth year, the child begins to elaborate an understanding of metarepresentational agency: the child attributes intentional attitudes, such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-atran/around-the-start-of-the-fourth-year-the-child-begins-to-elaborate-an/) [Scott Atran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) [Explore all 21 Scott Atran quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-atran/) ## More Head Heart quotes > [I call golf with my head and my heart. I don't have any notes in front of me - it's different from basketball and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-nantz/i-call-golf-with-my-head-and-my-heart-i-don-t-have-any-notes-in-front/) [Jim Nantz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-nantz/) > [Heart weeps. Head tries to help heart. Head tells heart how it is, again: You will lose the ones you love. They will all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/heart-weeps-head-tries-to-help-heart-head-tells-heart-how-it-is-again/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [Get out of your head and get into your heart. Think less, feel more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/get-out-of-your-head-and-get-into-your-heart-think-less-feel-more/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Keep your head and your heart going in the right direction, and you will not have to worry about your feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/keep-your-head-and-your-heart-going-in-the-right-direction-and-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“First with the head and then with the heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-courtenay/first-with-the-head-and-then-with-the-heart/) [Bryce Courtenay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-courtenay/) > [Whenever in doubt and in need of some advice, follow your heart and use you head. Heart never lies but it don't mean it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin/whenever-in-doubt-and-in-need-of-some-advice-follow-your-heart-and/) [Alvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin/) > [People go through three conversions: The conversion of their head, their heart, and their pocketbook. Unfortunately, not all at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/people-go-through-three-conversions-the-conversion-of-their-head/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [The one who has wisdom in his head and heart does not need to shout at others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spiros-zodhiates/the-one-who-has-wisdom-in-his-head-and-heart-does-not-need-to-shout/) Spiros Zodhiates > [I have found clarity in my head and heart from being a mum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/motsi-mabuse/i-have-found-clarity-in-my-head-and-heart-from-being-a-mum/) [Motsi Mabuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/motsi-mabuse/) > [The longest journey you'll ever make is the journey from the head to the heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/the-longest-journey-you-ll-ever-make-is-the-journey-from-the-head-to/) [Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/) > [Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/fine-art-is-that-in-which-the-hand-the-head-and-the-heart-of-man-go/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [A head full of biblical knowledge without a heart passionately in love with Christ is terribly dangerous - a stronghold waiting to happen. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/a-head-full-of-biblical-knowledge-without-a-heart-passionately-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [“You have a head and a heart? Reveal only one of them, I say; If you reveal both at once, doubly they'll damn you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-h-lderlin/you-have-a-head-and-a-heart-reveal-only-one-of-them-i-say-if-you/) [Friedrich Hölderlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-h-lderlin/) > [Your head is smarter then your heart. Follow your head, your heart will learn to love what your head knows is right!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/your-head-is-smarter-then-your-heart-follow-your-head-your-heart-will/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [Keep your head up, keep your heart strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/keep-your-head-up-keep-your-heart-strong/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 113 Head Heart quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A closer look reveals that God may never have been wholly pleased with His most preferred creations in granting them the parts they have. Why did He invert the retina and give humans (but not the octopus) a blind spot? Why, in making us upright, did He render us so liable to back problems? Why did He give us just one head, heart, and liver instead of two? 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