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February 12, 2009
Darwin at 200
Today would have been Charles Darwin's 200th birthday. One can count on one hand the number of scientists who are his equal when it comes to revolutionizing a field of study. It turns out that this elite group is also composed of many of those whose work infringed on the supposed explanatory power of religion and challenged religious orthodoxy. Darwin's most basic insights have faired very well over the years. Of course, biology has moved on, building on those basic insights here, modified them there.
But from a larger view, Darwin's, most basic insights, common decent and natural selection, were intellectual monuments to his time. Someone would have been discovered them even without the great man. In fact someone did. Alfred Russel Wallace, independently if in a less rigorous way, came to the same basic conclusions as Darwin. Wallace's paper forced Darwin's hand. So while we are correct in taking a few moments to celebrate Darwin's life, we must remember that it is the intellectual monument whose foundation he laid that is the real reason for our celebration.
Posted by Duane Smith at February 12, 2009 7:19 AM | Read more on Evolution |
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Comments
Yehi Zichro Baruch... utehei nishmato tzrurah bitzror hachayim. b'gan eden tehei nishmato, v'nomar...amen.
;-)
Posted by: mnuez at February 13, 2009 4:58 AM
Amen! . . . With the exception of those parts about his soul and the Garden of Eden of course :-)
Posted by: Duane at February 13, 2009 8:19 AM
Darwin was only human and does not deserve to held up as a hero. He could not know all that there is. His theory and it is only a theory is so outdated and so wrong.Scientists today cannot even get published unless they accept Darwin. What a crock!! How dare we challenge the status quo! Lynne Raisley
Posted by: Lynne Raisley at February 14, 2009 6:32 PM
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