Georges Cuvier
A founder of paleontology and comparative anatomy, known for his work on extinction and his opposition to evolutionary theories.
Most quoted
"The animal kingdom, viewed in its entirety, presents a vast and complex network of relationships, where every part is connected to every other part, and where the destruction of one link can reverberate throughout the whole."
— from Le Règne Animal distribué d'après son organisation
"Every organized being forms a whole, a unique and closed system, of which all the parts mutually correspond and concur to the same definitive action by a reciprocal reaction."
— from The Animal Kingdom, 1817
"Our consciousness allows us to reflect on our own mortality, to ponder the meaning of our brief existence, and to seek solace in the enduring patterns of the natural world."
— from Discourse on the Revolutions of the Surface of the Globe
All quotes by Georges Cuvier (414)
Each species is a distinct creation, perfectly adapted to its environment.
The fossil record provides undeniable proof of successive creations and destructions.
The Earth has been subjected to numerous revolutions, or catastrophes, which have successively destroyed the animal species that inhabited it.
The present order of things is not the result of a slow and gradual development, but of a series of sudden and violent changes.
Every organized being forms a whole, a unique and closed system, of which all the parts mutually correspond and concur in the same definitive action.
Give me a tooth, and I will reconstruct the entire animal.
The study of fossils is the only way to understand the history of life on Earth.
The existence of extinct species is a fact that can no longer be doubted.
The differences between races of men are superficial and do not justify the idea of distinct species.
The brain is the seat of the soul, and its size and complexity are directly related to intellectual capacity.
The classification of animals should be based on their internal organization, not on their external appearance.
There are four main branches of the animal kingdom: Vertebrata, Mollusca, Articulata, and Radiata.
The study of comparative anatomy is essential for understanding the diversity of life.
Nature does not make leaps.
The idea of a continuous chain of being is a philosophical illusion.
The history of the Earth is written in its rocks.
The present is the key to the past, but the past is not always the key to the present.
The study of fossils reveals a succession of different faunas, each adapted to a particular set of environmental conditions.
The existence of mammoths and other extinct animals proves that the Earth has undergone profound changes.
The human species is relatively recent on Earth.
Contemporaries of Georges Cuvier
Other Biologys born within 50 years of Georges Cuvier (1769–1832).