--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The contingency of history (both for life…" description: "\"The contingency of history (both for life in general and for the cultures of Homo sapiens ) and human free will (in the factual rather than theological..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/stephen-jay-gould-885_concepts_the-contingency-of-history-both-for-life_2446466.png" --- # The contingency of history (both for life in general and… ![“The contingency of history (both for life in general and for the cultures of Homo sapiens ) and human free will (in the factual rather than theological sense) are conjoined concepts, and no better evidence can be produced than the "experimental" production of markedly different solutions in…” quote by Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/stephen-jay-gould-885_concepts_the-contingency-of-history-both-for-life_2446466.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/stephen-jay-gould-885_concepts_the-contingency-of-history-both-for-life_2446466.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/stephen-jay-gould-885_concepts_the-contingency-of-history-both-for-life_2446466.png) > “The contingency of history (both for life in general and for the cultures of Homo sapiens ) and human free will (in the factual rather than theological sense) are conjoined concepts, and no better evidence can be produced than the "experimental" production of markedly different solutions in identical environments.” [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. History and free will are linked; experiments show varied outcomes in identical settings. **In simple terms:** History and choice intertwine; experiments reveal different paths. Key Takeaway Recognize the role of chance and agency. Themes history free will experiment determinism Mood analytical inquisitive Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - education - personal decisions Key Concepts philosophy of science contingency Questions to Reflect On - How much does environment shape choices? - Can free will exist in deterministic systems? A Different Perspective Predictability is limited by unknown variables. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Free will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-will/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Homo sapiens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homo-sapiens/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life in general](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-in-general/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [Contingency is a thing unto itself, not the titration of determinism by randomness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/contingency-is-a-thing-unto-itself-not-the-titration-of-determinism/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The classical argument for why a supposedly decent and moral creature like Homo sapiens can mistreat and even extirpate other species rests upon an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-classical-argument-for-why-a-supposedly-decent-and-moral-creature/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Evolving life must experience a vast range of possibilities, based on environmental histories so unpredictable that no realized route - the pathway to consciousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/evolving-life-must-experience-a-vast-range-of-possibilities-based-on/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [We who revel in nature's diversity and feel instructed by every animal tend to brand Homo sapiens as the greatest catastrophe since the Cretaceous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-who-revel-in-nature-s-diversity-and-feel-instructed-by-every/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [If we make this readjustment to view Homo sapiens as an ultimate in oddball rarity, and life at bacterial grade as the common expression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/if-we-make-this-readjustment-to-view-homo-sapiens-as-an-ultimate-in/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The origin of Homo sapiens, as a tiny twig on an improbable branch of a contingent limb on a fortunate tree, lies well below…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-origin-of-homo-sapiens-as-a-tiny-twig-on-an-improbable-branch-of/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [ Homo sapiens \[are\] a tiny twig on an improbable branch of a contingent limb on a fortunate tree. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/homo-sapiens-are-a-tiny-twig-on-an-improbable-branch-of-a-contingent/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I contend that the continued racial classification of Homo sapiens represents an outmoded approach to the general problem of differentiation within a species. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-contend-that-the-continued-racial-classification-of-homo-sapiens/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [“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 > [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 Concepts quotes > [Capability is just a concept of what is it we're looking at. Now how far we can go along that and what new capabilities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/capability-is-just-a-concept-of-what-is-it-we-re-looking-at-now-how/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I do like talking with friends about big concepts, you know, the stuff that will ruin a party. To me, the party hasn't begun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/i-do-like-talking-with-friends-about-big-concepts-you-know-the-stuff/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) > [You imagine that I look back on my life's work with calm satisfaction. But from nearby it looks quite different. There is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/you-imagine-that-i-look-back-on-my-life-s-work-with-calm-satisfaction/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [For a physicist mathematics is not just a tool by means of which phenomena can be calculated, it is the main source of concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/for-a-physicist-mathematics-is-not-just-a-tool-by-means-of-which/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [One of the most powerful concepts, one which is a sure cure for lack of confidence, is the thought that God is with you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/one-of-the-most-powerful-concepts-one-which-is-a-sure-cure-for-lack/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [All significant concepts of the modern theory of the state are secularized theological concepts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/all-significant-concepts-of-the-modern-theory-of-the-state-are/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [If you are trying to live a life in accordance with the Bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable. We do justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-trying-to-live-a-life-in-accordance-with-the-bible-the/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [So many times we come to Jesus in worship and ask Him for things that He already IS and has already done... What a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-nockels/so-many-times-we-come-to-jesus-in-worship-and-ask-him-for-things-that/) Christy Nockels > [ I don't think in national categories. For me it \[policy\] is about concepts and substance. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-juncker/i-don-t-think-in-national-categories-for-me-it-policy-is-about/) [Jean-Claude Juncker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-juncker/) > [In the very beginning, Yelp started as a service where we really didn't think people would write reviews for fun. The whole concept of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stoppelman/in-the-very-beginning-yelp-started-as-a-service-where-we-really-didn/) [Jeremy Stoppelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stoppelman/) > [To pray without expectation is to misunderstand the whole concept of prayer and relationship with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/to-pray-without-expectation-is-to-misunderstand-the-whole-concept-of/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) Browse all 2,468 Concepts quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The contingency of history (both for life in general and for the cultures of Homo sapiens ) and human free will (in the factual rather than theological sense) are conjoined concepts, and no better evidence can be produced than the \"experimental\" production of markedly different solutions in identical environments.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Jay Gould" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-contingency-of-history-both-for-life-in-general-and-for-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Concepts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-contingency-of-history-both-for-life-in-general-and-for-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/stephen-jay-gould-885_concepts_the-contingency-of-history-both-for-life_2446466.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/stephen-jay-gould-885_concepts_the-contingency-of-history-both-for-life_2446466.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f4/stephen-jay-gould-885_concepts_the-contingency-of-history-both-for-life_2446466.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The contingency of history (both for life in general and for the cultures of Homo sapiens ) and human free…” — 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": "The contingency of history (both for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-contingency-of-history-both-for-life-in-general-and-for-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-contingency-of-history-both-for-life-in-general-and-for-the/#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 } } ] } ```