Darwinism
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The main problem with this term is that [[science]] is about [[evidence]] and not [[personality cult]]s, so naming a branch of science directly after its inventor or discoverer is a dubious practice at best. While great contributors to a field of study are respected, they are not worshiped and revered like [[guru]]s. It is interesting to note how this mentality of describing Darwin as the supposed "worshiped father of evolution" reflects the creationists' need for a worshiped father figure to be the head of everything. It is like calling any one who accepts [[gravity]] exists "[[Newton]]ists" or those who accept [[relativity]] "[[Einstein]]ians" or "Galileans" as if the way that the [[universe]] works is a world view, passed down and declared from on high. Although [[Charles Darwin]] is a seminal figure in the modern [[theory of evolution]], and his contribution is certainly recognized, there have been over 150 years of advancements since his initial publication of ''[[The Origin of Species]]'' - the study of [[evolution]] has expanded well beyond Darwin's original works and the ideas he outlined, namely that evolution can now be described in terms of [[DNA]], something that Darwin was unaware of. | The main problem with this term is that [[science]] is about [[evidence]] and not [[personality cult]]s, so naming a branch of science directly after its inventor or discoverer is a dubious practice at best. While great contributors to a field of study are respected, they are not worshiped and revered like [[guru]]s. It is interesting to note how this mentality of describing Darwin as the supposed "worshiped father of evolution" reflects the creationists' need for a worshiped father figure to be the head of everything. It is like calling any one who accepts [[gravity]] exists "[[Newton]]ists" or those who accept [[relativity]] "[[Einstein]]ians" or "Galileans" as if the way that the [[universe]] works is a world view, passed down and declared from on high. Although [[Charles Darwin]] is a seminal figure in the modern [[theory of evolution]], and his contribution is certainly recognized, there have been over 150 years of advancements since his initial publication of ''[[The Origin of Species]]'' - the study of [[evolution]] has expanded well beyond Darwin's original works and the ideas he outlined, namely that evolution can now be described in terms of [[DNA]], something that Darwin was unaware of. | ||
| − | While it is certainly true that the "ism's" which are based on people's names (such as [[Margaret Thatcher|Thatcherism]], [[Marxism]], and Confucianism) obviously base their thoughts largely or entirely on the writings or thoughts of those individuals, the same cannot be said of "Darwinism". Therefore to think that a modern [[Evolutionary biology|evolutionary biologist]] would hang on every word Darwin said as unchangeable [[gospel]] is certainly a parody of science that has no basis in reality. | + | While it is certainly true that the "ism's" which are based on people's names (such as [[Margaret Thatcher|Thatcherism]], [[Marxism]], and [[Confucianism]]) obviously base their thoughts largely or entirely on the writings or thoughts of those individuals, the same cannot be said of "Darwinism". Therefore to think that a modern [[Evolutionary biology|evolutionary biologist]] would hang on every word Darwin said as unchangeable [[gospel]] is certainly a parody of science that has no basis in reality. |
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 12:45, 19 June 2011
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The word Darwinism is shorthand for evolution by natural selection, named after Charles Darwin, the scientist who first developed, popularised and gathered evidence for the theory. The nuances of its use, however, are dependent on who is using the term. Within biology it is synonymous with natural selection, but within creationism it is more of a snarl word.
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Who uses it
To creationists and intelligent design proponents Darwinism is a derogatory phrase used by to describe evolution.[1] The use of the term stems from the anti-evolutionary attitude in the USA. By retitling natural selection as "Darwinism", creationists successfully reduce the theory to the level of any other "ism" - like racism, capitalism or socialism. This gives the illusion that the theory is a belief, and so its acceptance is relative, optional and independent of evidence.
To most biologists, notably Richard Dawkins for example, Darwinism is simply a synonym for evolution by natural selection.[2] This contrasts it against Lamarckism, which is a competing (but completely discredited) mechanism for evolution - and Dawkins often refers to natural selection as "Darwinian". Various other permutations of the term bump around the Internet and blogs. Darwinist is used to describe a vocal proponent of evolution, while neo-Darwinism - to differentiate current accepted theories about evolution with some of Darwin's original ideas, which have turned out to be incorrect.
Problems with the term
The main problem with this term is that science is about evidence and not personality cults, so naming a branch of science directly after its inventor or discoverer is a dubious practice at best. While great contributors to a field of study are respected, they are not worshiped and revered like gurus. It is interesting to note how this mentality of describing Darwin as the supposed "worshiped father of evolution" reflects the creationists' need for a worshiped father figure to be the head of everything. It is like calling any one who accepts gravity exists "Newtonists" or those who accept relativity "Einsteinians" or "Galileans" as if the way that the universe works is a world view, passed down and declared from on high. Although Charles Darwin is a seminal figure in the modern theory of evolution, and his contribution is certainly recognized, there have been over 150 years of advancements since his initial publication of The Origin of Species - the study of evolution has expanded well beyond Darwin's original works and the ideas he outlined, namely that evolution can now be described in terms of DNA, something that Darwin was unaware of.
While it is certainly true that the "ism's" which are based on people's names (such as Thatcherism, Marxism, and Confucianism) obviously base their thoughts largely or entirely on the writings or thoughts of those individuals, the same cannot be said of "Darwinism". Therefore to think that a modern evolutionary biologist would hang on every word Darwin said as unchangeable gospel is certainly a parody of science that has no basis in reality.
See also
- Cdesign proponentsists
- Evolutionist
- Expelled: Leader's Guide
- Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
- Warmist, the global warming version of this
Footnotes
- ↑ From the Beagle to the School Board: God Goes Back to School, Morris Sullivan, Impact Press, Spring 2005.
- ↑ Richarddawkins.net See front page