RESPONSES TO ORIGIN OF SPECIES

Transcription

1 RESPONSES TO ORIGIN OF SPECIES

2 Science/Religion Conflict? 1860 British Association debate between Bishop Samuel ( Soapy Sam ) Wilberforce and Thomas Henry ( Darwin s Bulldog ) Huxley.

3 Are you descended from apes on your mother s side or your father s side? I would rather have a monkey for an ancestor than someone who uses their gifts to obscure the truth

4 Do evolutionary ideas lead to social and moral problems? So you see, Mary, Baby is descended from a hairy quadruped with pointed ears and a tail. We all are! Speak for yourself, Jack! I m not descended from anything of the kind, I beg to say; and baby takes after me. So there!

5 On hearing, one June afternoon in 1860, the suggestion that mankind was descended from the apes, the wife of the Bishop of Worcester is said to have exclaimed, My dear, descended from the apes! Let us hope it is not true, but if it is, let us pray that it will not become generally known. From Origins (1977) by Leakey & Lewin. The quote is apocryphal.

6 HERBERT SPENCER Social Darwinism Not an advocate of natural selection

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15 Alfred Russell Wallace Middle class, poorer working family; self educated Professional collector of specimens in the Amazon and Malay archipelago The co-discoverer of evolution by natural selection, and emphasized n.s. more than Darwin. Rejected orthodox Christianity; later turned to spiritualism. Rejected n.s. and evolution as an explanation for humanity.

16 Charles Lyell Leading scientist of middle 19 th century; espoused uniformitarian geology that influenced Darwin. Upper class, gentleman scientist of Whig politics and liberal Christian beliefs. Initially viewed geological epochs as evidence of separate creations, but accepted much of Darwin s arguments. Had grave concerns about natural selection and human evolution.

17 Thomas Henry Huxley Raised middle class, without wealth. Gained scientific expertise as a naval ship s naturalist. Confidant of Darwin before publication, and became Darwin s bulldog afterward. Campaigned against the gentleman-scientist class and for professional science. Coined the term agnostic Did not fully accept natural selection; rejected social Darwinism.

18 Thomas Huxley: Man s Place in Nature

19 Louis Agassiz Swiss naturalist, ichtheologist & paleontologist. Developed the theory that recent ice ages had shaped geology. Later came to teach at Harvard University. Vocal opponant of Darwin in America; rejected evolution and retained the view of separate creation of species. Though raised protestant and remained a deist influenced by German idealism, did not argue for biblical literalism in science.

20 Ernst Haeckel Prominent German scientist and expert in zoology and embryology. Atheistic in beliefs. Propounded evolution in Germany. Developed the icon of the tree of life and a proposed phylogenetic history. Did not expound natural selection, perhaps because of his connection to German idealism and embryological development.

21 Asa Gray Professor at Harvard University; foremost botanist in the US during the 19 th century. Corresponded with Darwin before and after publication. Devout and orthodox Christian. Accepted evolution and was its leading spokesman in the U.S. Sought to reconcile natural selection with theistic understandings.

22 Francis Galton ( ) Cousin of Charles Darwin Statistics of populations bell curve, SD, Quantitative traits & directional natural selection Society, hereditary abilities, Eugenics

23 Hugo De Vries ( ) Dutch botanist Coins term Genes and mutations Rediscovers Mendel s laws Mutation theory of evolution Speciation by saltation rather than gradualism. Early genetics in opposition to Darwinism.

24 Edward Drinker Cope ( ) Greatest early American paleontologist (along with rival Frederick Marsh) Identified fossil mammals & reptiles Cope s Rule (!?) trends toward increasing size Neo-Lamarckian evolution Consistent with ideology of gradualism and progress

25 Orthogenesis Teleological inner drive toward perfection Also explains fossil trends toward increased size Irish Elk non-adaptive trend leading toward extinction?

26 AUGUST WEISMANN ( ) German biologist Rejects non-darwinian mechanisms Germ-plasm theory Tests Lamarckian inheritance in 68 generations of mice by

27 The March of Progress Time-Life Books 1965

28 Why is Darwin buried in Westminster Abbey? Evolution accepted as dominant scientific view. Liberal Christianity s acceptance of progressive evolution. Modern Biblical criticism a second important development. Conservative Christianity not accepting. Fundamentalism develops in early 20 th century Natural selection not widely accepted ( Eclipse of Darwinism )