--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The more clearly the immensely…" description: "\"The more clearly the immensely speculative nature of geological science is recognized, the easier it becomes to remodel our concepts of any inferred te..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5b/william-morris-davis-63144_concepts_the-more-clearly-the-immensely-speculati_730970.jpg" --- # The more clearly the immensely speculative nature of… ![“The more clearly the immensely speculative nature of geological science is recognized, the easier it becomes to remodel our concepts of any inferred terrestrial conditions and processes in order to make outrages upon them not outrageous.” quote by William Morris Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5b/william-morris-davis-63144_concepts_the-more-clearly-the-immensely-speculati_730970.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5b/william-morris-davis-63144_concepts_the-more-clearly-the-immensely-speculati_730970.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5b/william-morris-davis-63144_concepts_the-more-clearly-the-immensely-speculati_730970.jpg) > “The more clearly the immensely speculative nature of geological science is recognized, the easier it becomes to remodel our concepts of any inferred terrestrial conditions and processes in order to make outrages upon them not outrageous.” [William Morris Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recognizing geology's speculative limits lets us rethink Earth’s past without imposing outrageous assumptions, making our models more reasonable. **In simple terms:** Accept uncertainty, avoid extreme claims. Key Takeaway Embrace humility in scientific modeling. Themes science geology uncertainty Mood cautious inquisitive Type academic methodological When to use this quote - research planning - educational curricula - public policy - climate modeling Key Concepts epistemology modeling paradigm shift Questions to Reflect On - How can we test speculative ideas responsibly? - What safeguards prevent sensationalism? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can distort conclusions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Geological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geological/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Outrage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outrage/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [How fleeting are the wishes and efforts of man! how short his time! and consequently how poor will his products be, compared with those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/how-fleeting-are-the-wishes-and-efforts-of-man-how-short-his-time-and/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [“ Lyell and Poulett Scrope , in this country, resumed the work of the Italians and of Hutton ; and the former, aided by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/lyell-and-poulett-scrope-in-this-country-resumed-the-work-of-the/) [Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/) > [What's changed is we now have good anatomical, geological, archaeological evidence that Neanderthals are not our ancestors. When I wrote 'Lucy,' I considered Neanderthals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/what-s-changed-is-we-now-have-good-anatomical-geological/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [Over most of history, threats have come from nature - disease, earthquakes, floods, and so forth. But the worst now come from us. We've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/over-most-of-history-threats-have-come-from-nature-disease/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [Four geological eras had to pass so that human beings would be able to outsing the birds and die for love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/four-geological-eras-had-to-pass-so-that-human-beings-would-be-able/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“GEOLOGY, n. The science of the earth's crust --to which, doubtless, will be added that of its interior whenever a man shall come up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/geology-n-the-science-of-the-earth-s-crust-to-which-doubtless-will-be/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [There is no foundation in geological facts, for the popular theory of the successive development of the animal and vegetable world, from the simplest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/there-is-no-foundation-in-geological-facts-for-the-popular-theory-of/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > [The most exciting thing that we have found with Cassini is the geological activity, the geysering activity at the south pole of Enceladus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-porco/the-most-exciting-thing-that-we-have-found-with-cassini-is-the/) [Carolyn Porco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-porco/) > [“... I left Caen, where I was living, to go on a geological excursion under the auspices of the School of Mines. The incidents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/i-left-caen-where-i-was-living-to-go-on-a-geological-excursion-under/) [Henri Poincaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/) > [Living matter is the most powerful geological force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-vernadsky/living-matter-is-the-most-powerful-geological-force/) Vladimir Vernadsky > [The rest of my work, besides sketching and keeping a diary, which was the most troublesome of all, consisted in making geological and zoological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-rest-of-my-work-besides-sketching-and-keeping-a-diary-which-was/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Geological age plays the same part in our views of the duration of the universe as the Earth's orbital radius does in our views…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-joly/geological-age-plays-the-same-part-in-our-views-of-the-duration-of/) [John Joly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-joly/) > [The deciphering of ancient scripts changed forever the way Europeans were able to imagine the story of humanity, destroying centuries of received authority about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-macgregor/the-deciphering-of-ancient-scripts-changed-forever-the-way-europeans/) [Neil MacGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-macgregor/) > [Geology is rapidly taking its place as an introduction to the higher history of man. If the author has sought to exalt a favorite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dwight-dana/geology-is-rapidly-taking-its-place-as-an-introduction-to-the-higher/) [James Dwight Dana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dwight-dana/) > [I do believe that enduring geological features are important, though I don't think I can be clear about exactly why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/i-do-believe-that-enduring-geological-features-are-important-though-i/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) ## More by William Morris Davis > [Once established, an original river advances through its long life, manifesting certain peculiarities of youth, maturity and old age, by which its successive stages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris-davis/once-established-an-original-river-advances-through-its-long-life/) [William Morris Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris-davis/) > [The meaning of geography is as much a sealed book to the person of ordinary intelligence and education as the meaning of a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris-davis/the-meaning-of-geography-is-as-much-a-sealed-book-to-the-person-of/) [William Morris Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris-davis/) > [The very foundation of our science is only an inference; far the whole of it rests an the unprovable assumption that, all through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris-davis/the-very-foundation-of-our-science-is-only-an-inference-far-the-whole/) [William Morris Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris-davis/) > [It is the relationship between the physical environment and the environed organism, between physiography and ontography (to coin a term), that constitutes the essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris-davis/it-is-the-relationship-between-the-physical-environment-and-the/) [William Morris Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris-davis/) [Explore all 5 William Morris Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris-davis/) ## 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 more clearly the immensely speculative nature of geological science is recognized, the easier it becomes to remodel our concepts of any inferred terrestrial conditions and processes in order to make outrages upon them not outrageous.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Morris Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris-davis/the-more-clearly-the-immensely-speculative-nature-of-geological/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Concepts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris-davis/the-more-clearly-the-immensely-speculative-nature-of-geological/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5b/william-morris-davis-63144_concepts_the-more-clearly-the-immensely-speculati_730970.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5b/william-morris-davis-63144_concepts_the-more-clearly-the-immensely-speculati_730970.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5b/william-morris-davis-63144_concepts_the-more-clearly-the-immensely-speculati_730970.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The more clearly the immensely speculative nature of geological science is recognized, the easier it becomes…” — William Morris Davis", "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": "William Morris Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The more clearly the immensely speculative...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris-davis/the-more-clearly-the-immensely-speculative-nature-of-geological/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris-davis/the-more-clearly-the-immensely-speculative-nature-of-geological/#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 } } ] } ```