Sublime

Without noise, evolution would stagnate, an endless series of perfect copies, incapable of change. But because DNA is susceptible to error—whether mutations in the code itself or transcription mistakes during replication—natural selection has a constant source of new possibilities to test.

scientist would probably be as much amused at the assumption that nobody can contradict Darwin as the Darwinian is at the assumption that nobody must contradict Moses.

"What a good thing it would be if every scientific man was to die when sixty years old, as afterwards he would be sure to oppose all new doctrines."

Darwinian evolution has great difficulty accounting for the existence of objective moral obligations.

I think that I can say with truth that in after years, though I cared in the highest degree for the approbation of such men as Lyell and Hooker, who were my friends, I did not care much about the general public. I do not mean to say that a favourable review or a large sale of my books did not please me greatly, but the pleasure was a fleeting one,

Spencer twisted Darwin’s theory of evolution, named it “survival of the fittest,” and ran with the idea, advocating for policies and laws that would achieve “Social Darwinism.”