Darwin's Great Idea and Why It Matters by James Bradley

Author:James Bradley [Bradley, James T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Darwin's Great Idea and Why It Matters, James Bradley, NewSouth Books, Charles Darwin, evolution, natural selection, Allegory of the Cave, Plato, biological evolution
ISBN: 9781603063050
Publisher: NewSouth Inc.
Published: 2013-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

. . . Nowhere is the process by which God made, created or formed man set out in scientific terms. A description of this process in its physical aspects is a matter of natural science. The Bible is not a book of science . . .”[10]

The governing body of the United Methodist Church passed three evolution-friendly petitions in 2008, and one of these specifically opposes the introduction of faith-based views such as creationism and intelligent design into the science curriculum of public schools.[11]

The position of the Roman Catholic Church on biological evolution is more difficult to pin down. The Vatican seems comfortable leaving the evolutionary development of physical entities, including human beings, to science so long as the human soul remains under the purview of God.[12] Finally, the Clergy Letter Project, an open letter signed by more than 12,000 Christian clergy in the Unites States, states: “Religious truth is of a different order from scientific truth. Its purpose is not to convey scientific information but to transform hearts.” On evolution, the Clergy Letter reads: “We believe that the theory of evolution is a foundational scientific truth, one that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny and upon which much of human knowledge and achievement rests. To reject this truth or to treat it as ‘one theory among others’ is to deliberately embrace scientific ignorance and transmit such ignorance to our children.”[13]

Testimonies from the above theistic scientists and many others and statements from clergy from diverse faiths provide strong evidence that reasonable minds find compatibility between the findings of science and religious faith. Acceptance of the theory of evolution requires neither atheism nor rejection of the wisdom found in sacred scripture.

Why Knowledge about Evolution Matters

Denying Darwin creates evolution illiteracy. The results of Darwin denial are the same whether the denial results from actively avoiding learning, or allowing others to learn, about biological evolution; grows from the deliberate misrepresentation of evolution; or stems passively from lack of knowledge. Regardless of its source, Darwin denial in the United States has reached the point where it threatens the country’s leadership in science, imperils the planet’s ecosystems, handicaps future biomedical research, undermines the positive roles of religion in society, and fetters the human spirit.

“Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” Biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky used this declaration as the title for his article written for biology teachers in 1973. The statement is as true today as it was then. Principles of biological evolution are foundational for every subdiscipline of biological science. Anatomy, biochemistry, plant and animal physiology, population biology, plant and animal ecology, cell biology, genomics, microbiology, neurobiology, nutrition, entomology, botany, ethnology, proteomics, genetics, molecular biology, parasitology, protozoology, marine biology, ornithology, mammalogy, and herpetology are all intimately integrated due to evolution. Discoveries in one subdiscipline guide research leading to new discoveries in other disciplines because plants, animals, and microbes have all coevolved. The DNA, biochemistry, physiology, behavior, and anatomy within individual organisms are also intimately integrated due to their coevolution.

An orchid and a moth provide a fantastic example of a prediction based on coevolution.

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