Darwinism Must Die -- Bicentennial Reflections


An essay with the title "Darwinism must die" might suggest a diatribe against evolution. Perhaps it's written by Philip Johnson or Ken Ham. And yet, it's not. It's an essay written by a convinced evolutionist -- Dr. Carl Safina, President of the Blue Ocean Institute and a MacArthur Fellow. Safina raises an important issue -- the problem of too closely linking evolution with Charles Darwin. As Safina notes:



Equating evolution with Charles Darwin ignores 150 years of discoveries, including most of what scientists understand about evolution. Such as: Gregor Mendel’s patterns of heredity (which gave Darwin’s idea of natural selection a mechanism — genetics — by which it could work); the discovery of DNA (which gave genetics a mechanism and lets us see evolutionary lineages); developmental biology (which gives DNA a mechanism); studies documenting evolution in nature (which converted the hypothetical to observable fact); evolution’s role in medicine and disease (bringing immediate relevance to the topic); and more.


Additionally, it suggests that the theory is all about one man. Additionally, by calling it "Darwinian Evolution" suggests that there might be more than one kind of evolution -- another possible theory. It also suggests a static theory -- which it's not.

This identification allows, Safina suggests, the entrance of another claimant -- Intelligent Design. With no other claimant, they get to be the opposing party. The reality is that there is little science involved in Intelligent Design -- in fact there is little in ID that William Paley didn't write in 1802 -- 7 years before Darwin was born.
The moral here might be this: Let's not overly lionize Darwin, while at the same time not demonizing or demeaning him.


I see Safina's point. Evolution is about more than one man. But at the same time, as we stop to remember Darwin's 200th Birthday and the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of the Species, I think it is appropriate to remember him for his discoveries, his determination, and his persistence, while at the same time remembering that this is not a static theory, but one being revised all the time as more discoveries are made.


So, while Darwinism maybe should die -- as an ideology Darwin himself never would have abided -- Charles Darwin's genius should be celebrated.


Comments

Anonymous said…
My responses to these responses can be found at:
http://carlsafina.wordpress.com/2009/02/17/you-say-you-want-an-evolution-well-yknow/

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