Editing Darwin's Dangerous Idea (section)

=== Universal acid ===
Dennett writes about the fantasy of a [[alkahest|"universal acid"]] as a liquid that is so corrosive that it would eat through anything that it came into contact with, even a potential container.  Such a powerful substance would transform everything it was applied to; leaving something very different in its wake.  This is where Dennett draws parallels from the “universal acid” to Darwin's idea:
<blockquote>
it eats through just about every traditional concept, and leaves in its wake a revolutionized world-view, with most of the old landmarks still recognizable, but transformed in fundamental ways.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}
</blockquote>
While there are people who would like to see Darwin's idea contained within the field of biology, Dennett asserts that this dangerous idea inevitably “leaks” out to transform other fields as well.