---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The evolution of life, and the…"
description: "\"The evolution of life, and the evolutionary origin of mankind, are scientifically established as firmly and completely as any historical event not witn..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/theodosius-dobzhansky-24932_biology_the-evolution-of-life-and-the-evolutiona_2166202.jpg"
---

#  The evolution of life, and the evolutionary origin of…

![“The evolution of life, and the evolutionary origin of mankind, are scientifically established as firmly and completely as any historical event not witnessed by human observers. Any concession to anti-evolutionists, suggesting that there are scientific reasons to doubt the facticity of evolution…” quote by Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/theodosius-dobzhansky-24932_biology_the-evolution-of-life-and-the-evolutiona_2166202.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/theodosius-dobzhansky-24932_biology_the-evolution-of-life-and-the-evolutiona_2166202.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/theodosius-dobzhansky-24932_biology_the-evolution-of-life-and-the-evolutiona_2166202.jpg)

> “The evolution of life, and the evolutionary origin of mankind, are scientifically established as firmly and completely as any historical event not witnessed by human observers. Any concession to anti-evolutionists, suggesting that there are scientific reasons to doubt the facticity of evolution, would be propagating a plain untruth.”

[Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Evolutionary theory is as empirically solid as any well-documented historical event, and denying it is false.

**In simple terms:** Evolution is scientifically proven.

Key Takeaway

Accept scientific consensus.

Themes

science education truth

Mood

serious informative

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- school curricula
- public policy
- media reporting

Key Concepts

evolution philosophy of science

Questions to Reflect On

- How to improve public understanding?
- What evidence convinces skeptics?

A Different Perspective

Public resistance persists.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Anti Evolutionists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-evolutionists-4618356/) [Biology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biology/) [Concessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concessions/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Evolution Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution-life-1093604/) [Evolution of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution-of-life/) [Evolutionary Origin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolutionary-origin-3150594/) [Evolutionists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolutionists-273572/) [Evolutionists Suggesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolutionists-suggesting-4618355/) [Fact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fact/) [Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [Historical events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical-events/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Observers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observers/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Suggesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suggesting/) [Untruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/untruth/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/)

## Related quotes

> [We are conscious co-creators in the evolution of life. We have free will. And we have choices. Consequently our success is based on our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-h-lipton/we-are-conscious-co-creators-in-the-evolution-of-life-we-have-free/)

[Bruce H. Lipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-h-lipton/)

> [Why does evolution matter? There is so much about the evolution of life, the development of life on Earth that should rivet the attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/why-does-evolution-matter-there-is-so-much-about-the-evolution-of/)

[Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/)

> [Progress, then, is a property of the evolution of life as a whole by almost any conceivable intuitive standard… let us not pretend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/progress-then-is-a-property-of-the-evolution-of-life-as-a-whole-by/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [Nature has invented reproduction as a mechanism for life to move forward. As a life force that passes right through us and makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-schwartzberg/nature-has-invented-reproduction-as-a-mechanism-for-life-to-move/)

[Louis Schwartzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-schwartzberg/)

> [Earth has provided a stable platform for the evolution of life over 4 billion years. But that lease is limited; we know for sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shapiro/earth-has-provided-a-stable-platform-for-the-evolution-of-life-over-4/)

[Robert Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shapiro/)

> [“Educators may bring upon themselves unnecessary travail by taking a tactless and unjustifiable position about the relation between scientific and religious narratives. We see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/educators-may-bring-upon-themselves-unnecessary-travail-by-taking-a/)

[Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/)

> [I have characterized Ross as exemplifying an extreme position among theistic scientists. However, he is not so extreme as to promote the scientifically unsound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-j-stenger/i-have-characterized-ross-as-exemplifying-an-extreme-position-among/)

[Victor J. Stenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-j-stenger/)

> [Of all the statements that have been made with respect to theories on the origin of life, the statement that the Second Law of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-gish/of-all-the-statements-that-have-been-made-with-respect-to-theories-on/)

[Duane Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-gish/)

> [If one's interest is not in some global question about the possibility of knowledge, but about some particular mechanism or inferential tendency, this fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/if-one-s-interest-is-not-in-some-global-question-about-the/)

[Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/)

> [God will bring people and events into our lives, and whatever we may think about them, they are designed for the evolution of His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/god-will-bring-people-and-events-into-our-lives-and-whatever-we-may/)

[Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/)

> [Each one of us has our own evolution of life, and each one of us goes through different tests which are unique and challenging.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/each-one-of-us-has-our-own-evolution-of-life-and-each-one-of-us-goes/)

[A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/)

> [Not to take this web of dualities as a sign we are on the right track would be a bit like believing that God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-to-take-this-web-of-dualities-as-a-sign-we-are-on-the-right-track/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In fighting, in evolution, in life, efficiency is the key,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-st-pierre/in-fighting-in-evolution-in-life-efficiency-is-the-key/)

[Georges St-Pierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-st-pierre/)

> [“It is more than probable that there are factors of evolution still unknown. We can but seek for them. Nothing is more certain than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-more-than-probable-that-there-are-factors-of-evolution-still/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Where there is age there is evolution, where there is life there is growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anjelica-huston/where-there-is-age-there-is-evolution-where-there-is-life-there-is/)

[Anjelica Huston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anjelica-huston/)

## More by Theodosius Dobzhansky

> [No known human group... simply throw out its dead without any ritual or ceremony. In stark contrast, no animal practices burial of dead individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/no-known-human-group-simply-throw-out-its-dead-without-any-ritual-or/)

[Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

> [Scientists often have a naive faith that if only they could discover enough facts about a problem, these facts would somehow arrange themselves in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/scientists-often-have-a-naive-faith-that-if-only-they-could-discover/)

[Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

> [An accident, a random change, in any delicate mechanism can hardly be expected to improve it. Poking a stick into the machinery of one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/an-accident-a-random-change-in-any-delicate-mechanism-can-hardly-be/)

[Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

> [No evidence is powerful enough to force acceptance of a conclusion that is emotionally distasteful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/no-evidence-is-powerful-enough-to-force-acceptance-of-a-conclusion/)

[Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

> [The foundations of population genetics were laid chiefly by mathematical deduction from basic premises contained in the works of Mendel and Morgan and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/the-foundations-of-population-genetics-were-laid-chiefly-by/)

[Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

> [Evolution as a process that has always gone on in the history of the earth can only be doubted by those who are ignorant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/evolution-as-a-process-that-has-always-gone-on-in-the-history-of-the/)

[Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

> [Does the evolutionary doctrine clash with religious faith? It does not. It is a blunder to mistake the Holy Scriptures for elementary textbooks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/does-the-evolutionary-doctrine-clash-with-religious-faith-it-does-not/)

[Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

> [The living world is not a single array... connected by unbroken series of intergrades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/the-living-world-is-not-a-single-array-connected-by-unbroken-series/)

[Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

> [Does the evolutionary doctrine clash with religious faith? It does not. It is a blunder to mistake the Holy Scriptures for elementary textbooks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/does-the-evolutionary-doctrine-clash-with-religious-faith-it-does-not-2/)

[Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

> [“Does the evolutionary doctrine clash with religious faith? It does not. It is a blunder to mistake the Holy Scriptures for elementary textbooks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/does-the-evolutionary-doctrine-clash-with-religious-faith-it-does-not-3/)

[Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

> [Pat answers to complex problems are the hallmark of intellectual mediocrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/pat-answers-to-complex-problems-are-the-hallmark-of-intellectual/)

[Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

> [Marxists are more right than wrong when they argue that the problems scientists take up,. the way they go about solving them, and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/marxists-are-more-right-than-wrong-when-they-argue-that-the-problems/)

[Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

> [The more we know, the better we realize that our knowledge is a little island in the midst of an ocean of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/the-more-we-know-the-better-we-realize-that-our-knowledge-is-a-little/)

[Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

> [Man is the only living being who has a developed self-awareness and death-awareness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/man-is-the-only-living-being-who-has-a-developed-self-awareness-and/)

[Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

> [Natural selection must be replaced by eugenical artificial selection. This idea constitutes the sound core of eugenics, the applied science of human betterment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/natural-selection-must-be-replaced-by-eugenical-artificial-selection/)

[Theodosius Dobzhansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

[Explore all 23 Theodosius Dobzhansky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/)

## More Biology quotes

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [“Genetics is a science full of gods, Mr. Sanchez.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valeria-luiselli/genetics-is-a-science-full-of-gods-mr-sanchez/)

[Valeria Luiselli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valeria-luiselli/)

> [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/)

[Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/)

> [Evolution happens in jumps, very rapidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/evolution-happens-in-jumps-very-rapidly/)

[Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/)

> [“Toshiaki learned that all living organisms were governed by their DNA. He was impressed by perfection of this system.Why did existence have the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideaki-sena/toshiaki-learned-that-all-living-organisms-were-governed-by-their-dna/)

[Hideaki Sena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hideaki-sena/)

> [I'm all about evolution. I'm the first person to judge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-weeknd/i-m-all-about-evolution-i-m-the-first-person-to-judge-myself/)

[The Weeknd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-weeknd/)

> [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spottiswoode/i-think-the-ethics-and-morals-of-genetic-engineering-are-very/)

[Roger Spottiswoode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spottiswoode/)

> [Biochemists and biologists who adhere blindly to the Darwinism theory search for results that will be in agreement with their theories and consequently orient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/biochemists-and-biologists-who-adhere-blindly-to-the-darwinism-theory/)

[Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/)

> [“A note of caution: epigenetics is also on the verge of transforming into a dangerous idea. Epigenetic modifications of genes can potentially superpose historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/a-note-of-caution-epigenetics-is-also-on-the-verge-of-transforming/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [Natural history is not taught in seminary. This is curious, as most people in pastoral ministry are about 567 times more likely to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/natural-history-is-not-taught-in-seminary-this-is-curious-as-most/)

[Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/)

> [We are coming to a place where the road ends. From here on out, we will be making the road as we walk it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-atlee/we-are-coming-to-a-place-where-the-road-ends-from-here-on-out-we-will/)

[Tom Atlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-atlee/)

> [I've always been interested in medicine and was pleased when my brother became a doctor. But after thinking seriously about that field, I realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-medicine-and-was-pleased-when-my/)

[Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/)

> [Evolution... is the most powerful and the most comprehensive idea that has ever arisen on Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/evolution-is-the-most-powerful-and-the-most-comprehensive-idea-that/)

[Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/)

> [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/)

[Browse all 3,034 Biology quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biology/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The evolution of life, and the evolutionary origin of mankind, are scientifically established as firmly and completely as any historical event not witnessed by human observers. Any concession to anti-evolutionists, suggesting that there are scientific reasons to doubt the facticity of evolution, would be propagating a plain untruth.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Theodosius Dobzhansky"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/the-evolution-of-life-and-the-evolutionary-origin-of-mankind-are/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Biology"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/the-evolution-of-life-and-the-evolutionary-origin-of-mankind-are/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/theodosius-dobzhansky-24932_biology_the-evolution-of-life-and-the-evolutiona_2166202.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/theodosius-dobzhansky-24932_biology_the-evolution-of-life-and-the-evolutiona_2166202.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/theodosius-dobzhansky-24932_biology_the-evolution-of-life-and-the-evolutiona_2166202.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The evolution of life, and the evolutionary origin of mankind, are scientifically established as firmly and…” — Theodosius Dobzhansky",
                "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": "Theodosius Dobzhansky",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodosius-dobzhansky/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The evolution of life, and the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/the-evolution-of-life-and-the-evolutionary-origin-of-mankind-are/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodosius-dobzhansky/the-evolution-of-life-and-the-evolutionary-origin-of-mankind-are/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
