The more one thinks, the more one feels the hopeless immensity of man’s ignorance. (Charles Darwin)
Thinking about the musings from Day 73: The Scientific Revolution – Part 2 – (Conclusion).…
I would submit to you that while there should be little doubt as to the impact on humanity regarding Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, one must also understand the unintended consequence of E = mc2. I would further submit to you that once you understand the significance of the unintended consequence of E = mc2, you may never look at the field of science the same way again.
One of humanities most intriguing questions must be the following:
How long have humans been on Earth?
A couple of centuries ago, a man named Charles Darwin tried to answer that question…
Charles Darwin…England…1809-1882.
In the scientific field of biology, there is a case to be made that Charles Darwin has no equal.
Darwin is known as the father of the theory of evolution.
In Darwin’s 1859 book, On the Origin of Species, he explains the theory of evolution by natural selection. Ultimately, Darwin believed that all of life on earth had descended from a common ancestor.
In order to understand a little bit as to how Charles Darwin came to these conclusions, one must understand the life of Charles Darwin.
Charles Darwin was described as an ordinary child who showed little promise growing up, a disappointment by his father, a renowned surgeon in England, Dr. Robert Darwin. Charles was the 5th of 6 children who was spoiled by both his 4 elder siblings and his mother Susannah Wedgwood. Susannah’s father was Josiah Wedgwood, the creator of the pottery mold in England.
Charles Darwin’s mother died when he was 8. If this event was not traumatic enough for young Charles, his father was so distraught by his wife’s death, that he became a recluse and spent the rest of his life behind closed doors, obsessed by his work in the field of medicine.
While at the same time, Dr. Robert Darwin insisted that all of his children were never to mention her again in his presence.
Consider how the passing of his mother must have affected Charles for the rest of his life….
Expected to follow in his father’s footsteps, Charles enrolled at Edinburgh University at age 16 to become a surgeon. There were just two issues that Charles had while attending medical school:
1) He passed out at the sight of blood and;
2) He became violently ill after watching operations in the school’s surgical theater.
After dropping out of medical school, his father then enrolled Charles at Christ College at Cambridge University. Despite being an average student at best and skipping lectures on a consistent basis, Charles still managed to earn…
A theology degree.
After returning home, Charles engaged in a life of entertaining, enjoying ample amounts of food and wine, and hunting with his dogs on his countryside estate. These activities were slowly chipping away at the vast fortune accumulated by his grandfather on his mothers’ side, Josiah Wedgewood.
It was at this time that he received a knock on his door from the Reverend Professor John Henslow.
Henslow recommended to Charles that he spend time aboard the HMS Beagle, a ship bound for the coastline of South America. Reverend Henslow convinced Charles to catalog information regarding the climate and biology of the region.
After choosing to board the HMS Beagle, upon leaving the family estate, the last thing that Dr. Robert Darwin said to his son was:
‘You care for nothing but shooting, dogs, and rat-catching, and you will be a disgrace to yourself and all your family’….
And the rest they say, is history.
After spending 5 years on the boat after hearing his father say while walking out the door, ‘the journal of the hunting, exploring and collecting experiences that he accumulated while away, ultimately became the blueprint for…
The Theory of Evolution.
Do not feel discouraged if you are still trying to wrap your head about the Scientific Revolution, Part 2 and how it relates to the Holy Bible. Do not feel discouraged if you are still trying to understand the possible links between Freud and Einstein and the Holy Bible. Instead, embrace the idea that as you learn more about these individuals, embrace the idea that as you gain more context and background knowledge regarding their impact in the realm of science, that it all will eventually come full circle regarding the Holy Bible.
Another blow to the idea that humans were rational being that were in charge of their lives.
“4 But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” (Daniel 12:4 KJV)
Was today’s blog a little confusing at times? Was the content perhaps a little overwhelming? Did you feel lost not understanding some or most of the subject matter?
Those feelings are totally understandable and it is ok to have one or more of those feelings. Remember that you are reading Day 74: The Scientific Revolution – Part 3.
If you haven’t been in class since the first day of school…or when the project began…or when the contract was first signed, etc., these feelings make perfect and logistical sense.
Please feel free to go back to where all of this began:
Day 1: What Is A Mid-Life Crisis?