--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No rational order of divine intelligence…" description: "\"No rational order of divine intelligence unites species. The natural ties are genealogical along contingent pathways of history.\" — Stephen Jay Gould" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/stephen-jay-gould-885_divine_no-rational-order-of-divine-intelligence_721638.png" --- # No rational order of divine intelligence unites species… ![“No rational order of divine intelligence unites species. The natural ties are genealogical along contingent pathways of history.” quote by Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/stephen-jay-gould-885_divine_no-rational-order-of-divine-intelligence_721638.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/stephen-jay-gould-885_divine_no-rational-order-of-divine-intelligence_721638.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/stephen-jay-gould-885_divine_no-rational-order-of-divine-intelligence_721638.png) > “No rational order of divine intelligence unites species. The natural ties are genealogical along contingent pathways of history.” [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. Suggests that divine intelligence does not organize species; instead, relationships are shaped by genealogy and historical contingencies. **In simple terms:** Species linked by ancestry and history, not a divine plan. Key Takeaway Consider evolutionary history in understanding life. Themes evolution history philosophy Mood analytical thoughtful Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - biology education - science communication - philosophical debate Key Concepts phylogenetics contingency Questions to Reflect On - What does contingency mean for predictability? - How does genealogy shape diversity? A Different Perspective May underplay role of emergent order. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Divine Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-intelligence-507090/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Intelligence Unites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence-unites-5670592/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Natural Ties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-ties-5670593/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Pathways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pathways/) [Rational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rational/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species/) [Species Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species-natural-5670591/) [Ties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ties/) [Unites Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unites-species-5670590/) ## Related quotes > [There are two possibilities: Either the kiss is a human universal, one of the constellation of innate traits, including language and laughter, that unites…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/there-are-two-possibilities-either-the-kiss-is-a-human-universal-one/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [But we must here state that we should not see anything if there were a vacuum. 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I am one with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-olatunji/i-am-that-i-am-i-am-beauty-i-am-peace-i-am-joy-i-am-one-with-mother/) [Babatunde Olatunji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-olatunji/) > [My affairs are in the keeping of Infinite Wisdom. I am guided by Divine Intelligence. The activity of Spirit inspires my mind and flows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-holmes/my-affairs-are-in-the-keeping-of-infinite-wisdom-i-am-guided-by/) [Ernest Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-holmes/) > [I think that if we look at what created us, the divine intelligence that created every one of us all He can see is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-assaraf/i-think-that-if-we-look-at-what-created-us-the-divine-intelligence/) [John Assaraf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-assaraf/) > [Plants make the air! Do you understand what that means? Our food, our air, our very lives come from the plants. How could they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryrose-wood/plants-make-the-air-do-you-understand-what-that-means-our-food-our/) [Maryrose Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryrose-wood/) ## 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. 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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. 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Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [I take the seashell from my jeans pocket and rub my fingers across its silken, indented surface, shallow as my own open hand. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kenison/i-take-the-seashell-from-my-jeans-pocket-and-rub-my-fingers-across/) [Katrina Kenison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kenison/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? 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