The Age of Darwin

We are children of Darwin; his age continues. All of us bear the stamp of our lowly origin, for 99% of our DNA remains identical with that of chimpanzees. That scientific fact cannot be dismissed as mere coincidence. The doctrine that God created man separately from the animal kingdom (and Eve from the rib of Adam) simply does not stand up to such compelling evidence. Some of us have vehemently denied the reality of evolution, even though it has been staring us in the face at least since the observations of Empedocles (494-434 BC), who penned On Nature. Today construction crews continue to discover evidence of extinct species, and our public health authorities battle rapidly evolving viruses. Natural selection has found its way into popular culture; broadcasters have taken to announce the Darwin Awards. The Origin of Species has remained among the most readable great works of science, yet many prefer the Bible or the Quran, documents transcribed long ago that may provide guidance in ethics, but not science. Some fear that acknowledging evolution leads to nihilism; they are wrong. Darwin never ventured into the field of moral theory; his research simply represented evidence-based decision-making at its best. The authoritarians who used to promote so-called Social Darwinism as a way to advance the doctrine of Might makes Right have long been discredited.Nonetheless, social progress has never unfolded in a straight line. Human history has acted like a pendulum, swinging from progressivism to conservatism. The spread of communications technology served to make this development more pronounced. Social media has brought extreme levels of polarization, as described in my previous book, Mobilizing the Fringe. In The Origin of Species Charles Darwin wrote: "I see no good reason why the views given in this volume should shock the religious feelings of anyone." Indeed, the Victorian clergy was up in arms over Darwin's claims, although amongst the general public curiosity apparently prevailed over indignation. In 1859 the book sold out on the day it appeared on the shelves. Nearly every scientific breakthrough has triggered a backlash among those who perceived the innovation as a threat, or simply misunderstood it. Even the first airplanes caused revulsion in many who saw human flight as an assault against nature. Mainstream politicians took note, and carefully avoided controversial topics such as evolution or the descent of man. But the boundaries of knowledge have considerably expanded since Darwin breathed his last in 1882: Mendel's genetics, Fisher's synthesis, Watson and Crick's cracking of the DNA sequence, the Human Genome Project, and finally genetic editing through CRISPR technology have brought many benefits. Such scientific progress challenged and increasingly curtailed religious authority, but never defeated it entirely. In recent years many among the faithful have joined and occasionally fanned the anti-vaccine movement. People remain free to make their own choices, and to place faith above reason. That said, we can now make the case for the latter, since human progress has been inextricably linked with it.Documentation we do not lack. Most of Darwin's extensive letters, notes, illustrations and publications have been made available online. So has his autobiography, which he intended for the exclusive use of his children. His record is on the table, for all to see, examine and criticize. As the Oxford University Press Mini-dictionary of Biology (1988) aptly comments, "Darwin proposed a feasible mechanism for evolution and backed it up with evidence from the fossil record and studies of comparative anatomy and embryology." Over 150 years after its formulation, the theory of natural selection has withstood the test of time.