--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Contingency is a thing unto itself, not…" description: "\"Contingency is a thing unto itself, not the titration of determinism by randomness.\" — Stephen Jay Gould" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/712/stephen-jay-gould-885_contingency_contingency-is-a-thing-unto-itself-not-t_1294100.png" --- # Contingency is a thing unto itself, not the titration of… ![“Contingency is a thing unto itself, not the titration of determinism by randomness.” quote by Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/712/stephen-jay-gould-885_contingency_contingency-is-a-thing-unto-itself-not-t_1294100.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/712/stephen-jay-gould-885_contingency_contingency-is-a-thing-unto-itself-not-t_1294100.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/712/stephen-jay-gould-885_contingency_contingency-is-a-thing-unto-itself-not-t_1294100.png) > “Contingency is a thing unto itself, not the titration of determinism by randomness.” [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It asserts that contingency operates independently, not merely as random variation on deterministic laws. **In simple terms:** Contingency is its own force, not just randomness on determinism. Key Takeaway Recognize independent forces shaping outcomes. Themes evolution philosophy uncertainty Mood thoughtful analytical Type academic philosophical When to use this quote - scientific research - philosophical debate - policy planning Key Concepts determinism randomness contingency Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing contingency change scientific approaches? - What are limits of deterministic models? A Different Perspective Contingency can be hard to predict or control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Determinism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determinism/) [Randomness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/randomness/) ## Related quotes > [“To the best of our scientific understanding, determinism and randomness have divided the entire cake between them, leaving not even a crumb for ‘freedom’.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/to-the-best-of-our-scientific-understanding-determinism-and/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Chance doesn't mean meaningless randomness, but historical contingency. This happens rather than that, and that's the way that novelty, new things, come about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-polkinghorne/chance-doesn-t-mean-meaningless-randomness-but-historical-contingency/) [John Polkinghorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-polkinghorne/) > [The world changed from having the determinism of a clock to having the contingency of a pinball machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-changed-from-having-the-determinism-of-a-clock-to-having/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“... Nature almost surely operates by combining chance with necessity, randomness with determinism...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-chaisson/nature-almost-surely-operates-by-combining-chance-with-necessity/) [Eric Chaisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-chaisson/) > [The two go hand in hand like a dance: chance flirts with necessity, randomness with determinism. To be sure, it is from this interchange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-chaisson/the-two-go-hand-in-hand-like-a-dance-chance-flirts-with-necessity/) [Eric Chaisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-chaisson/) > [“...any object functioning within the physical laws of any particular universe does not have free will ... In terms of human beings, all behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-j-solomon/any-object-functioning-within-the-physical-laws-of-any-particular/) Mark J. Solomon > [The contingency of history (both for life in general and for the cultures of Homo sapiens ) and human free will (in the factual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-contingency-of-history-both-for-life-in-general-and-for-the/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Contingency is rich and fascinating; it embodies an exquisite tension between the power of individuals to modify history and the intelligible limits set by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/contingency-is-rich-and-fascinating-it-embodies-an-exquisite-tension/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [It seems the height of antiquated hubris to claim that the universe carried on as it did for billions of years in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/it-seems-the-height-of-antiquated-hubris-to-claim-that-the-universe/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I view the major features of my own odyssey as a set of mostly fortunate contingencies. I was not destined by inherited mentality or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-view-the-major-features-of-my-own-odyssey-as-a-set-of-mostly/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Perhaps randomness is not merely an adequate description for complex causes that we cannot specify. Perhaps the world really works this way, and many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/perhaps-randomness-is-not-merely-an-adequate-description-for-complex/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Biological determinism is, in its essence, a theory of limits. It takes the current status of groups as a measure of where they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/biological-determinism-is-in-its-essence-a-theory-of-limits-it-takes/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [We will build a Marine Corps based on 36 battalions, which the Heritage Foundation notes is the minimum needed to deal with major contingencies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-build-a-marine-corps-based-on-36-battalions-which-the/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [What fiction offers us is an intimacy shorn of the messy contingencies of human existence - gender, race, class or age. Those moments of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/what-fiction-offers-us-is-an-intimacy-shorn-of-the-messy/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [“Seriously, this old woman had no idea how close she came to being squashed like a roach. -Sage Hannigan, Contingency”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-s-martinez/seriously-this-old-woman-had-no-idea-how-close-she-came-to-being/) P. S. Martinez ## More by Stephen Jay Gould > [I strongly reject any conceptual scheme that places our options on a line, and holds that the only alternative to a pair of extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-strongly-reject-any-conceptual-scheme-that-places-our-options-on-a/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [History employs evolution to structure biological events in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/history-employs-evolution-to-structure-biological-events-in-time/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [In his anti-Darwinian book... (and eponymously named The Neck of the Giraffe ), Francis Hitching tells the story... "The need to survive by reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/in-his-anti-darwinian-book-and-eponymously-named-the-neck-of-the/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [... many folks take them seriously because they just 'know' that evolution can never be seen in the immediate here and now. In fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/many-folks-take-them-seriously-because-they-just-know-that-evolution/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Charles Darwin viewed the fossil record more as an embarrassment than as an aid to his theory ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/charles-darwin-viewed-the-fossil-record-more-as-an-embarrassment-than/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Zoocentrism is the primary fallacy of human sociobiology, for this view of human behavior rests on the argument that if the actions of "lower"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/zoocentrism-is-the-primary-fallacy-of-human-sociobiology-for-this/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The world, unfortunately, rarely matches our hopes and consistently refuses to behave in a reasonable manner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-world-unfortunately-rarely-matches-our-hopes-and-consistently/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The true beauty of nature is her amplitude; she exists neither for nor because of us, and possesses a staying power that all our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-true-beauty-of-nature-is-her-amplitude-she-exists-neither-for-nor/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [With copious evidence ranging from Plato's haughtiness to Beethoven's tirades, we may conclude that the most brilliant people of history tend to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/with-copious-evidence-ranging-from-plato-s-haughtiness-to-beethoven-s/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [When scientists need to explain difficult points of theory, illustration by hypothetical example - rather than by total abstraction - works well (perhaps indispensably)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/when-scientists-need-to-explain-difficult-points-of-theory/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The truly awesome intellectuals in our history have not merely made discoveries; they have woven variegated, but firm, tapestries of comprehensive coverage. The tapestries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-truly-awesome-intellectuals-in-our-history-have-not-merely-made/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I believe that we can still have a genre of scientific books suitable for and accessible alike to professionals and interested laypeople. The concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-believe-that-we-can-still-have-a-genre-of-scientific-books-suitable/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Science simply cannot adjudicate the issue of God's possible superintendence of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/science-simply-cannot-adjudicate-the-issue-of-god-s-possible/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [But if we laugh with derision, we will never understand. Human intellectual capacity has not altered for thousands of years so far as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/but-if-we-laugh-with-derision-we-will-never-understand-human/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [We debase the richness of both nature and our own minds if we view the great pageant of our intellectual history as a compendium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-debase-the-richness-of-both-nature-and-our-own-minds-if-we-view/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) [Explore all 341 Stephen Jay Gould quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## More Contingency quotes > [“Seriously, this old woman had no idea how close she came to being squashed like a roach. -Sage Hannigan, Contingency”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-s-martinez/seriously-this-old-woman-had-no-idea-how-close-she-came-to-being/) P. S. Martinez > [What fiction offers us is an intimacy shorn of the messy contingencies of human existence - gender, race, class or age. Those moments of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/what-fiction-offers-us-is-an-intimacy-shorn-of-the-messy/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [We will build a Marine Corps based on 36 battalions, which the Heritage Foundation notes is the minimum needed to deal with major contingencies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-build-a-marine-corps-based-on-36-battalions-which-the/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“Evaluation must be done in hindsight, after the work has been done, not for proposals for work to be done. That said, secondary factors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venkatesh-narayanamurti/evaluation-must-be-done-in-hindsight-after-the-work-has-been-done-not/) Venkatesh Narayanamurti > [“The universe made no promises. It owes you nothing. It did not invite you to be born. It made no commitments that it could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-m-kohl/the-universe-made-no-promises-it-owes-you-nothing-it-did-not-invite/) Tobias M. Kohl > [You can’t control every contingency. You have to accept that. Let it scare you. Trust that it’ll be okay anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/you-can-t-control-every-contingency-you-have-to-accept-that-let-it/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [The very essence of civilized culture is that we deliberately institute, in advance of the happening of various contingencies and emergencies of life, devices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/the-very-essence-of-civilized-culture-is-that-we-deliberately/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [Life, as the most ancient of all metaphors insists, is a journey; and the travel book, in its deceptive simulation of the journey's fits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-raban/life-as-the-most-ancient-of-all-metaphors-insists-is-a-journey-and/) [Jonathan Raban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-raban/) > [The denial of "self" challenges only the notion of a static self independent of body and mind-not the ordinary sense of ourself as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/the-denial-of-self-challenges-only-the-notion-of-a-static-self/) [Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/) > [“But do you imagine there’s a certain type of person in the world who conforms to the idea of a ‘bad person'? You’ll never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsume-s-seki/but-do-you-imagine-there-s-a-certain-type-of-person-in-the-world-who/) [Natsume Sōseki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsume-s-seki/) > [... regard this body as a machine which, having been made by the hand of God, is incomparably better ordered than any machine that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/regard-this-body-as-a-machine-which-having-been-made-by-the-hand-of/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [“emancipatory politics must always destroy the appearance of a ‘natural order’, must reveal what is presented as necessary and inevitable to be a mere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-fisher/emancipatory-politics-must-always-destroy-the-appearance-of-a-natural/) [Mark Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-fisher/) > [A president must be on the job 24/7, ready for any contingency, any crisis, anywhere, anytime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-president-must-be-on-the-job-24-7-ready-for-any-contingency-any/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Whereas some dwell on the bright side of life, enjoying an exciting spectrum of contingencies, and get all the breaks, others live in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/whereas-some-dwell-on-the-bright-side-of-life-enjoying-an-exciting/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [The skin is a variety of contingency: in it, through it, with it, the world and my body touch each other, the feeling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-serres/the-skin-is-a-variety-of-contingency-in-it-through-it-with-it-the/) [Michel Serres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-serres/) Browse all 141 Contingency quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Contingency is a thing unto itself, not the titration of determinism by randomness.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Jay Gould" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/contingency-is-a-thing-unto-itself-not-the-titration-of-determinism/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Contingency" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/contingency-is-a-thing-unto-itself-not-the-titration-of-determinism/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/712/stephen-jay-gould-885_contingency_contingency-is-a-thing-unto-itself-not-t_1294100.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/712/stephen-jay-gould-885_contingency_contingency-is-a-thing-unto-itself-not-t_1294100.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/712/stephen-jay-gould-885_contingency_contingency-is-a-thing-unto-itself-not-t_1294100.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Contingency is a thing unto itself, not the titration of determinism by randomness.” — Stephen Jay Gould", "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": "Stephen Jay Gould", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Contingency is a thing unto itself,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/contingency-is-a-thing-unto-itself-not-the-titration-of-determinism/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/contingency-is-a-thing-unto-itself-not-the-titration-of-determinism/#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 } } ] } ```