While many of you are eagerly anticipating the arrival of presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama this evening, Feb. 12 is incredibly significant for a completely different reason. On this day, nearly 200 years ago, the man I consider to be most important person in human history was born. I?m not alone in this belief, and with good reason. That man, Charles Darwin, explained how all life on this earth came to be in existence. In his book, ?On the Origin of Species,? Darwin presented his case for evolution by natural selection, and 149 years later, the scientific community is still overwhelmingly in agreement that Darwin got it right. The richness and fullness of his explanation of how life on this planet came to be has to be considered one of the greatest achievements in the history of mankind.
Americans are undeniably curious about nature and the world around us. The success of the incredible ?Planet Earth? series is case in point. Even though many people are inquisitive about the world around us and how it came to be, a sizable percentage of this country rejects science in general, and Darwinism in particular. The percentage of people who reject Darwinian natural selection varies from poll to poll, but the number is always sizeable. According to a 2007 USA Today/Gallup poll, 44 percent of Americans said they believed evolution was either definitely or probably false.
Why are so many Americans so hostile to evolution by natural selection? Part of this denial comes from the belief that Darwinism leads to a bleak, empty worldview. I don?t find this to be the case, and neither did Darwin. At the end of ?On the Origin of Species,? he wrote that ?there is grandeur in this view of life,? and that ?from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.? The knowledge that all life on this planet evolved from a single common ancestor should inspire incredible awe from everyone, and I think it?s a far more satisfying explanation than to believe that we all suddenly popped into existence one day about 6,000 years ago.
Some people find natural selection dissatisfying because they believe it implies we?re all selfish beings and that we have no underlying morals or social responsibility. First of all, this isn?t really an attack on the veracity of evolution. Second, it?s completely untrue. Darwinism shows we?re all part of the same family, and as such we should recognize that we?re all in this game together. We really do have a responsibility to care for one another. If that?s not enough to inspire moral behavior, I?m not sure what is.
I think it?s embarrassing that in 2008, a serious presidential candidate can stand up and openly question natural selection and not get laughed off the stage. Some might argue disbelief in Darwinism is a religious matter and therefore should be accepted. However, I think it?s dishonest and even dangerous to suggest that science and religion are equally reasonable justifications for understanding the world around us. If this were the case, we as a society would be incredibly impoverished, in both the economic and intellectual sense.
Next month, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins will be visiting our campus as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series. I encourage everyone to hear him speak ? only after I get my ticket first. Professor Dawkins is doing for biology and evolution what Carl Sagan did for astronomy. We should feel honored that within a month, we?ll have the privilege of hearing two of the most engaging speakers in the world today visit our campus.
So happy Darwin Day, my fellow primates. As you make your way to class, take a moment and reflect on the implications of Darwinism and remember that we really are all in this together.
Corey Sheahan ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in economics and history.
