If after 200 years of your birth people still on a daily basis debate what you said, you have had an impact on society. Today is the 200th Birth Anniversary of Charles Darwin and many people all over are recognising his great achievement. While there is widespread debate and awareness of his theory, the understanding however is lacking. I think many people are either misinformed or misinterpret what he said over 150 years ago.
The biggest misconception is that Darwin proposed the entire theory of evolution and either you believe it or you don't. While this is somewhat right, it is not accurate. Darwin proposed, in his book 'on the Origin of Species' in 1859 the Theory of Natural Selection. "He introduced the theory that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of natural selection. Darwin's book contains a wealth of evidence that the diversity of life arose through a branching pattern of evolution and common descent – evidence which he had accumulated on the voyage of the Beagle in the 1830s and expanded through research, correspondence, and experiments after his return."
Darwin proposed an overall mechanism but did not propose the exact mechanism on species arise. However, Gregor Mendel's work on the Laws of Inheritance provided the exact mechanism of how mutations are passed on through chromosomes. I can never forgot his great experiment regarding the common fruit fly I learnt in 11th grade.
Since then several works have further refined the the Theory of evolution and established the link between genetics, natural selection and evolution of species. In particular was the work of Theodosius Dobzhansky in 1937. Many other works, experiments and evidence has led to what is called the 'Modern evolutionary synthesis'
No matter how much work is done or evidence provided, it is not sufficient for many. Here is an excellent poll on evolution that reveals that Majority of Americans don't believe in it.
Source:
As per the Gallup the implications of the survey are
"As Darwin is being lauded as one of the most important scientists in history on the 200th anniversary of his birth (on Feb. 12, 1809), it is perhaps dismaying to scientists who study and respect his work to see that well less than half of Americans today say they believe in the theory of evolution, and that just 55% can associate the man with his theory.
Naturally, some of this is because of educational differences. Americans who have lower levels of formal education are significantly less likely than others to be able to identity Darwin with his theory, and to have an opinion on it either way. Still, the evidence is clear that even to this day, Americans' religious beliefs are a significant predictor of their attitudes toward Darwin's theory. Those who attend church most often are the least likely to believe in evolution, and most likely to say they do not believe in it."
What's most disappointing are the reasons cited for not believing. While some say that "it doesn't explain everything" others say "even scientist debate it" and still others that "there isn't enough evidence". Of course everything in Science is open for debate. That's how scientific theories progress. Each theory builds upon prior work and sometimes theories are overturned. We generally accept scientific theories that are discussed, debated and published as the best explanations given our current knowledge. No doubt that more work will be done and theory modified to adapt to the new evidence. However, it is unlikely that it would change the basic premise of the theory.
It appears then that most people who do not believe in the theory do so because of religious convictions. They then find reasons or rationalisation to support their point of view rather than it being the other way around. Among the scientific community there is overwhelming agreement that the Modern Evolutionary synthesis is correct. The question is, what would it take to convince the rest.
P.S> Just stumbled upon this immediately after posting this blog http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090212/sc_afp/scienceusgermanygenomeanthropology
This is exactly what I was talking about when I mean future discoveries and progress.
3 Comments:
Nice one Anand.
You might have read this one...
"In a 1997 survey in the science journal Nature, 40 percent of U.S. scientists said they believe in God—not just a creator, but a God to whom one can pray in expectation of an answer. That is the same percentage of scientists who were believers when the survey was taken 80 years earlier. "
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1018_041018_science_religion.html
"Among the scientific community there is overwhelming agreement that the Modern Evolutionary synthesis is correct. The question is, what would it take to convince the rest."
I will never understand why people think it is their duty to convince other people that their beliefs are superior to everyone else's. I for one fully believe in evolution, and think that existing proof is in overwhelming support of it. Great for me. What difference does it make to me whether the next guy shares my belief? It doesn't.
It annoys me to no end when people feel the obligation to parade around and broadcast how smart they are because they subscribe to one belief system or another- whether it be Christianity, Atheism, or Agnosticism. The guy with the Darwin emblem on the back of his car is no better in my mind than the Jehovah's Witness who knocks on my door. Live and let live.
The question is not about superior or inferior belief and its counterproductive to see it that way. I am all for liberalism i.e. live and let live however some beliefs have implications for the society e.g. Evangelist dictating school curriculum and morality. In that case its important to emphasize the basis of the conclusions and figure out whats more accurate vs. less.
If people choose to believe in creationism vs. Evolution, thats there prerogative and I, and I believe many, don't feel compelled to change it. However, when this has broader implications on the society then you have to make case for different theories and try to get to a good answer. If you are leading people to believe something which is going to affect their lives I feel one has a responsibility to figure out if the direction provided make sense.
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