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If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly… — Charles Darwin

Scientific literature

If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down. But I can find out no such case.

Charles Darwin
On the Origin of Species · 1859
★ 3.9
Other tags relating to this quote
Topic
Natural selectionEvolution
Genre
Scientific literature
Time
1859
Person
Charles Darwin
Provenance
Current citation
Darwin, Charles. The Origin of the Species, edited by William Bynum. Penguin, 2009, ch. 6.
Original citation
Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species. London: John Murray, 1859, ch. 6.

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Owing to this struggle for life, any variation, however slight and from whatever cause proceeding, if it be in any degree profitable to an individual of any species, in its infinitely complex relations to other organic beings and to external nature, will tend to the preservation of that individual, and will generally be inherited by its offspring. The offspring, also, will thus have a better chance of surviving.

Charles Darwin
On the Origin of Species · 1859
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