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The theory of evolution through natural selection is familiar to most of us from high school and it would seem as though it is of interest only to those are professionally engaged in biology. However, beyond the incredible success it has had in explaining the diversity of living organisms, this theory has another less incredible but no less important legacy. One of the most well-known contemporary philosophers, Tufts University professor Daniel Dennett, shows how Darwin’s theory changes our perceptions of ourselves and the organization of the world around us. Darwin’s principle of natural selection allows us to explain all that exists and does so without reference to any higher purpose or mystical forces. It is able to demonstrate how order was birthed from chaos, how meaning was derived from meaninglessness, and how morals evolved out of animal instincts. The principle of natural selection is a new way of thinking that allows us to understand how the most sublime cultural phenomena emerged and developed solely in accordance with our biological capacities. Darwin’s “dangerous” idea destroys the notion of humanity as exceptional vis-à-vis the animal world, but also gives humanity the ability to know itself more truly.