--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That’s why the theory of evolution cannot…" description: "\"“That’s why the theory of evolution cannot accept the idea of souls,”\" — Yuval Noah Harari" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/yuval-noah-harari-100_biology_that-s-why-the-theory-of-evolution-canno_3185857.jpg" --- # That’s why the theory of evolution cannot accept the idea… ![“That’s why the theory of evolution cannot accept the idea of souls,” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/yuval-noah-harari-100_biology_that-s-why-the-theory-of-evolution-canno_3185857.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/yuval-noah-harari-100_biology_that-s-why-the-theory-of-evolution-canno_3185857.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/yuval-noah-harari-100_biology_that-s-why-the-theory-of-evolution-canno_3185857.jpg) > ““That’s why the theory of evolution cannot accept the idea of souls,”” [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) ## 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 explains biological change, not metaphysical concepts like souls. **In simple terms:** Evolution deals with genes, not souls. Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of scientific explanations. Themes science philosophy metaphysics Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - debates on consciousness - religious discussions - ethical AI development Key Concepts materialism reductionism Questions to Reflect On - Can science ever test the existence of a soul? - How do we reconcile empirical facts with spiritual beliefs? A Different Perspective Science cannot address non‑empirical claims. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biology/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Evolution Accept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution-accept-2587849/) [Idea Souls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-souls-5856858/) [Souls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/souls/) [Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory/) [Theory of evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory-of-evolution/) ## Related quotes > [There is no indisputable proof for the big bang," said Hollus. "And there is none for evolution. And yet you accept those. Why hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/there-is-no-indisputable-proof-for-the-big-bang-said-hollus-and-there/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [ The theory \[of evolution\] is a scientific mistake. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-agassiz/the-theory-of-evolution-is-a-scientific-mistake/) [Louis Agassiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-agassiz/) > [The theory of evolution is totally inadequate to explain the origin and manifestation of the inorganic world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ambrose-fleming/the-theory-of-evolution-is-totally-inadequate-to-explain-the-origin/) [John Ambrose Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ambrose-fleming/) > [ To my mind, the theory of \[evolution\] does not stand up at all. If living matter is not, then, caused by the interplay of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lipson/to-my-mind-the-theory-of-evolution-does-not-stand-up-at-all-if-living/) [Henry Lipson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lipson/) > [“The Theory of Relativity makes nobody angry because it doesn't contradict any of our cherished beliefs. Most people don't care an iota whether space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-theory-of-relativity-makes-nobody-angry-because-it-doesn-t/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“From an evolutionary perspective, the closest thing we have to a human essence is our DNA, and the DNA molecule is the vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/from-an-evolutionary-perspective-the-closest-thing-we-have-to-a-human/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Why does the theory of evolution provoke such objections, whereas nobody seems to care about the theory of relativity or quantum mechanics? How come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/why-does-the-theory-of-evolution-provoke-such-objections-whereas-2/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Why does the theory of evolution provoke such objections, whereas nobody seems to care about the theory of relativity or quantum mechanics? How come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/why-does-the-theory-of-evolution-provoke-such-objections-whereas/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Remember Henry Adam's jest that the succession of presidents from Washington to Grant disproved the theory of evolution?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/remember-henry-adam-s-jest-that-the-succession-of-presidents-from/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [“Richard Dawkins and his followers have recycled the theory of evolution not as a biological theory but as a theory of everything – of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/richard-dawkins-and-his-followers-have-recycled-the-theory-of/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [“Darwin’s theory of evolution, at least in its author’s eyes, dealt solely with the natural world. Yet it was as attractive to political theorists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/darwin-s-theory-of-evolution-at-least-in-its-author-s-eyes-dealt/) [Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/) > [“The boys lived in their own simple, carefree world, unconcerned with hygiene and unaware of the theory of evolution. Yet ruthless natural selection—further intensified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-boys-lived-in-their-own-simple-carefree-world-unconcerned-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Those who cavalierly reject the Theory of Evolution, as not adequately supported by facts, seem quite to forget that their own theory it supported…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/those-who-cavalierly-reject-the-theory-of-evolution-as-not-adequately/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [“New Rule: You don't have to teach both sides of a debate if one side is a load of crap. President Bush recently suggested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-you-don-t-have-to-teach-both-sides-of-a-debate-if-one-side/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [I believe in the theory of evolution, but I believe as well in the allegorical truth of creation theory. In other words, I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-langan/i-believe-in-the-theory-of-evolution-but-i-believe-as-well-in-the/) [Christopher Langan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-langan/) ## More by Yuval Noah Harari > [“For similar reasons, archaic humans did not initiate any revolutions. As far as we can tell, changes in social patterns, the invention of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/for-similar-reasons-archaic-humans-did-not-initiate-any-revolutions/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Today the main source of wealth is knowledge. And whereas you can conquer oil fields through war, you cannot acquire knowledge that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/today-the-main-source-of-wealth-is-knowledge-and-whereas-you-can/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“How do you cause people to believe in an imagined order such as Christianity, democracy or capitalism? First, you never admit that the order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/how-do-you-cause-people-to-believe-in-an-imagined-order-such-as/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [I think the basic thing that happened is we have lost our story. Humans think in stories, and we try to make sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/i-think-the-basic-thing-that-happened-is-we-have-lost-our-story/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Whereas chimpanzees spend five hours a day chewing raw food, a single hour suffices for people eating cooked food. The advent of cooking enabled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-chimpanzees-spend-five-hours-a-day-chewing-raw-food-a-single/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“the Chinese air-purification market is booming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-chinese-air-purification-market-is-booming/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Whereas liberalism merged with the milder versions of nationalism to protect the unique experiences of each human community, evolutionary humanists such as Hitler identified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-liberalism-merged-with-the-milder-versions-of-nationalism-to/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Corporations, money and nations exist only in our imagination. We invented them to serve us; why do we find ourselves sacrificing our lives in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/corporations-money-and-nations-exist-only-in-our-imagination-we/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Small children in affluent societies often dislike showering, and it takes them years of education and parental discipline to adopt this supposedly attractive custom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/small-children-in-affluent-societies-often-dislike-showering-and-it/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Ever more scholars see cultures as a kind of mental infection or parasite, with humans as its unwitting host. Organic parasites, such as viruses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/ever-more-scholars-see-cultures-as-a-kind-of-mental-infection-or/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Soviet Communism was a fanatical and missionary religion. A devout Communist could not be a Christian or a Buddhist, and was expected to spread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/soviet-communism-was-a-fanatical-and-missionary-religion-a-devout/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Whereas religion asks us to believe in something, money asks us to believe that other people believe in something”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-religion-asks-us-to-believe-in-something-money-asks-us-to/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Terrorists are like a fly that tries to destroy a china shop. The fly is so weak that it cannot budge even a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/terrorists-are-like-a-fly-that-tries-to-destroy-a-china-shop-the-fly/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Yet what happens if the greedy shoemaker increases his profits by paying employees less and increasing their work hours? The standard answer is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/yet-what-happens-if-the-greedy-shoemaker-increases-his-profits-by/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“A natural order is a stable order. There is no chance that gravity will cease to function tomorrow, even if people stop believing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/a-natural-order-is-a-stable-order-there-is-no-chance-that-gravity/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) [Explore all 1,200 Yuval Noah Harari quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) ## 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": "“That’s why the theory of evolution cannot accept the idea of souls,”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yuval Noah Harari" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/that-s-why-the-theory-of-evolution-cannot-accept-the-idea-of-souls/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Biology" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/that-s-why-the-theory-of-evolution-cannot-accept-the-idea-of-souls/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/yuval-noah-harari-100_biology_that-s-why-the-theory-of-evolution-canno_3185857.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/yuval-noah-harari-100_biology_that-s-why-the-theory-of-evolution-canno_3185857.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/yuval-noah-harari-100_biology_that-s-why-the-theory-of-evolution-canno_3185857.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That’s why the theory of evolution cannot accept the idea of souls,” — Yuval Noah Harari", "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": "Yuval Noah Harari", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“That’s why the theory of evolution...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/that-s-why-the-theory-of-evolution-cannot-accept-the-idea-of-souls/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/that-s-why-the-theory-of-evolution-cannot-accept-the-idea-of-souls/#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 } } ] } ```