The greatest revolutionary in human history
Charles Charles Darwin: born Feb 12th 1809. By co-incidence, The Origin of Species – “the most incendiary book in the history of science” (National Geographic magazine) - was published 150 years ago this year.
“You can pare Darwin’s big idea down to a single sentence (again, this is a modern way of putting it, not quite Darwin’s): ‘Given sufficient time, the non-random survival of hereditary entities (which occasionally misccopy) will generate complexity, diversity, beauty, and an illusion of design so persuasive that it is almost impossible to distinguish from intelligent design’…
“…Darwin raises our consciousness to the sinewy power of science to explain the large and complex in terms of the small and simple. In biology we were fooled for centuries into thinking that extravagant complexity in nature needs an extravagant explanation. Darwin triumphantly dispelled that delusion. There remain deep questions, in physics and cosmology, that await their Darwin. Why are the laws of physics the way they are? Why are there laws at all? Why is there a universe at all? Once again, the lure of ‘design’ is tempting. But we have the cautionary tale of Darwin before us. We’ve been through all that before. Darwin emboldens us – difficult as it is – to seek genuine explanations: explanations that explain more than they postulate.” Read the rest here.
Visit: darwin-online.org.uk; www.darwinproject.ac.uk; www.darwinday.org; www.aboutdarwin.com; www.darwin.rcuk.ac.uk;http://inversesquare.wordpress.com/2009/02/09/program-notes-a-heads-up-for-some-02138-ish-darwin-events/
…and with all due modesty, have a look at this…
maxdunbar said,
February 12, 2009 at 9:32 am
Couldn’t agree more.
Sue R said,
February 12, 2009 at 9:56 am
Needs defending more than ever nowadays.
KB Player said,
February 12, 2009 at 1:20 pm
David Attenborough’s programme Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life was one of the best telly programmes I’ve ever seen – really inspiring and moving. D. Attenborough is great – full of knowledge and wonder, a national treasure – so of course he gets hate mail from Creationists.
ahem said,
February 12, 2009 at 7:08 pm
No
entdinglichung said,
February 13, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I wouldn’t say, that he was “the greatest revolutionary in human history” … those unknown people who started agriculture 12000-13000 years ago did something far more important
Carnival of Socialism: Darwin’s 200th « The Mustard Seed said,
February 16, 2009 at 12:32 am
[...] Shiraz Socialist posts an article by Richard Dawkins: “You can pare Darwin’s big idea down to a single sentence (again, this is a modern way of putting it, not quite Darwin’s): ‘Given sufficient time, the non-random survival of hereditary entities (which occasionally misccopy) will generate complexity, diversity, beauty, and an illusion of design so persuasive that it is almost impossible to distinguish from intelligent design’… [...]