How to celebrate Darwin Day

PUBLISHER:

redshirt

Shaun Johnston:
In modern times we've made two revolutionary discoveries. One is, how changes in physical matter can be accounted for in terms of physical laws that can predict precisely what will happen next. Having given rise to science (how this can be studied) and industry (how it can be applied) this revolution is well under way.

The second revolution is, how emergence of species of living creatures can be accounted for in terms of them evolving from one another. This revolution, despite its promise of how much it could tell us about ourselves, remains stillborn through the mistaken application to it of principles coming out of the first revolution--reductive physicalism.

For this second revolution to advance it should be taken from under the wing of science and studied on its own terms. Tip: one recent product of evolution is creatures with minds. Minds are better studied through methods of the humanities than through those of science. Tell me, does this interest you?

Details: Written by Shaun Johnston Shaun Johnston; Published: February 4, 2013 February 4, 2013; Hits: 9659 9659

In 1838, an unmarried teenager named Victoria ascended the throne of Britain. By then, Charles Darwin was already an adult, in his late twenties. If by “Victorian” we mean the period of Victoria’s rule the exploits for which Darwin is famous—the voyage on the Beagle and his coming up with natural selection--are “Pre-Victorian.” He had no talent for mathematics or philosophy, usually thought essential for a great scientist. He is a figure from such a distant past, and so ill-prepared for the role of great scientist, why does it occur to anyone today to celebrate his birthday?

The reason is, because we celebrate not him but something in ourselves.... By celebrating Darwin’s victory we in effect choose to turn back and celebrate his victory rather than to face forward, deal with our fears, and move on. Fears? What else could account for criticisms of Darwinism being greeted, today, with fingers-in-the-ears chants of “Creationist! Creationist!”?

I have a proposal. Let’s regard Charles Darwin, like his Grandfather Erasmus, as a pre-Victorian pioneer in evolutionary thinking, while we turn to constructing new theories that can account for what we know is true of at least some evolved creatures—us: we can be conscious, creative, and experience exercising free will. More...