Quote by Gareth J. Nelson

The idea that one can go to the fossil record and expect to empirically recover an ancestor-descendant sequence, be it of species, genera, families, or whatever, has been, and continues to be, a pernicious illusion.

The idea that one can go to the fossil record and expect to

Summary

This quote suggests that the belief that the fossil record can provide a direct and complete lineage of ancestors and descendants is a misleading and harmful misconception. It highlights that expecting to find a clear and sequential progression of species or groups in the fossil record is unrealistic. The quote implies that the complexities of evolutionary processes, limitations of fossil preservation, and the gaps in our knowledge make it impossible to accurately reconstruct a complete ancestral lineage solely based on fossils.

Topics

Science Evolution Darwin Biology Darwinism Macro Evolution Macroevolution Neo Darwinism Fossil Record Fossils Paleontology

By Gareth J. Nelson

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