“Our knowledge of the nature and properties of living things is far too meagre to justify any such attempts.”

— William Bateson

Preface
Problems In Genetics (1913)
Context: Few who are familiar with the facts that genetic research has revealed are now inclined to speculate as to the manner by which the process [species come into existence] has been accomplished. Our knowledge of the nature and properties of living things is far too meagre to justify any such attempts. Suggestions of course can be made: though, however, these ideas may have a stimulating value in the lecture room, they look weak and thin when set out in print.

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William Bateson16

British geneticist and biologist 1861–1926

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“Our knowledge of the nature and properties of living things is far too meagre to justify any such attempts.”

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William Bateson16

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