letter to E. Ray Lankester, quoted in his essay "Charles Robert Darwin" in C.D. Warner, editor, Library of the World's Best Literature: Ancient and Modern (R.S. Peale & J.A. Hill, New York, 1896) volume 2, pages 4835-4393, at page 4391

Physiological experiment on animals is justifiable for real investigation; but not for mere damnable and detestable curiosity.

— Charles Darwin

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Physiological experiment on animals is justifiable for real investigation; but not for mere damnable and detestable curiosity." in the context of "letter to E. Ray Lankester, quoted in his essay "Charles Robert Darwin" in C.D. Warner, editor, Library of the World's Best Literature: Ancient and Modern (R.S. Peale & J.A. Hill, New York, 1896) volume 2, pages 4835-4393, at page 4391" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Charles Darwin" (Quotes, Other letters, notebooks, journal articles, recollected statements) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Charles Darwin

About Charles Darwin

Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist and biologist, best known for his contributions to the science of evolution. He proposed that evolution could be explained in part through natural and sexual selection. Prompted by awareness that Alfred Russel Wallace was developing similar theories he published his own sooner than he had originally intended. This theory is now an integral component of biological science.