Some call it evolution, And others call it God. (Charles Darwin)
Thinking about the musings from Day 74: The Scientific Revolution, Part 3,….
I would submit to you that while on the surface, the ideas brought forth by Charles Darwin appear to have merit, there is quite a strong case that these ideas are in fact quite meritless. I would further submit to you that after gaining the proper historical context regarding how the Theory of Evolution actually came to pass, you will come to a more enlightened conclusion as to the validity of this scientific theory and the science behind it.
And the key here is…scientific theory.
While it may be historical fact that Charles Darwin laid out the case for the Theory of Evolution in his book: On The Origin of Species, the fact of the matter is this:
Are his claims, which are accepted to be the foundations for the scientific branch of evolutionary biology, true?
Perhaps if we were to dig a little deeper into the history of evolution, we can come to a more scientific conclusion as to the validity of the Theory of Evolution….
To assume that Charles Darwin was the first to elaborate on the idea of an evolutionary universe would be wrong indeed. In fact, historically speaking, one can actually trace the Theory of Evolution back to the ancient Greeks in the 4th century BC. It was at this time where Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were building the foundations for the golden era of philosophy in the Western world.
Although there may be no direct evidence of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle commenting on how the universe came to be, there was one philosopher during this time period who did.
There is a case to be made that it was the Greek philosopher Anaximander who claimed that all life on Earth came from non-life. Ultimately, coming with this claim the idea of humans making evolutionary progress from animals.
A bold claim indeed.
While I could spend some time and space here going through the historical chronology of all of those who have made evolutionary claims regarding humans and their time on Earth, I would submit to you that it would be a better use of our time to move directly to the Age of the Enlightenment, and more specifically, the grandfather of Charles Darwin…
Erasums Darwin.
Erasmus Darwin, 1731-1802, was known throughout England, not only as a brilliant and multi-talented physician, whose influence extended into the realms of philosophy, physiology, and poetry, and was also an inventor and an abolitionist. In fact, Erasmus Darwin was a key figure in the early Enlightenment era, whose epicenter was in Birmingham, England, during the second half of the 18th century.
Ironically, it was not the scientific genius of Erasmus Darwin that would ignite the Theory of Evolution embers in his grandson Charles over 60 years after his death, but rather…
It was his poetry, along with his views on Christianity.
Erasmus Darwin was an ardent Deist, one who has a religious belief that God did in fact create the universe and its moral and natural laws. However, a Deist also believes that God, after creating the universe, no longer intervened in human affairs, and thus, humanity is left to operate and navigate their lives on Earth within the confines of the moral and natural laws brought forth by God in the creation of the universe.
In other words, a Deist is one who rejects traditional, Christian ideas.
It is this background which may help one to explain why Erasmus Darwin became a political radical, who always said what he believed in, no matter who he may offend.
Erasmus Darwin, and his idea of what today can be considered the theory of evolution, can be seen in a string of his following poetic writings: The Loves of the Plants, (1789), Zoonomia, or, The Laws of Organic Life, (1794-1796), and The Temple of Nature, (1803).
All writings that Charles was well aware of growing up.
In fact, there is a strong case to be made that it was The Temple of Nature, that had the most influence on a young Charles, as Erasmus wrote about how all life originated from the sea, and therefore, all life must have evolved from a common ancestor from the sea.
You can see the influence that Erasmus Darwin had on his grandson regarding the Theory of Evolution in a letter Charles wrote to his friend Joseph Hooker in 1871:
“But if we could conceive in some warm little pond with all sorts of ammonia and phosphoric salts, – light, heat, electricity & present, that a protein compound was chemically formed, ready to undergo still more complex changes, at the present day such matter would be instantly devoured, or absorbed, which would not have been the case before living creatures were formed.”
So…are Erasmus and Darwin correct in assuming that humans, and all other life for that matter, ultimately came from a ‘warm little pond’?
Is Erasmus and other Deist thinkers of the day, correct then in assuming the God is no longer involved in the day to day operations here on Earth, and the universe for that matter, after he created all of it?
Before coming to a conclusion, we must review some of the potential issues with the Theory of Evolution…
Which will be covered next time.
Do not feel discouraged if you are still trying to wrap your head about the writings of both Erasmus and Charles Darwin regarding the Theory of Evolution. Do not feel discouraged if you are still trying to understand the possible links between how Deism and the Enlightenment come into play regarding the writings of Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution. Instead, embrace the idea that as you learn more about both these individuals and their ideas, the more sense it will all make in the end in helping you to come to a more confident conclusion regarding the Theory of Evolution.
12 It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts. (Isaiah 45:12 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 75: The Scientific Revolution – Part 3 – Part 2.
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: