Origin of Species - Point, Counterpoint and Examination

I was having my morning coffee the other day and on the cup was the following deep thought.

Darwinism’s impact on traditional social values has not been as benign as its advocates would like us to believe. Despite the efforts of its modern defenders to distance themselves from its baleful social consequences, Darwinism’s connection with eugenics, abortion and racism is a matter of historical record. And the record is not pretty. -- Dr. Jonathan Wells Biologist and author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design. (#224)

It was a good thing that I had actually finished drinking because I probably would have choked on the spot. While my mouth was spitting invectives against Dr. Wells, my mind was wondering how someone, who could have spend enough time in an institute of higher education to get a PhD in Biology no less could even think those thoughts with a straight face, let alone commit them to paper? Personally, I like the Way I See It program that Starbucks is running. Most of the time, the comments are insightful or playful or bring a smile to your face as you see exactly what the author is driving at. This was not one of those. This brought out the full wrath of indignation and a trip to the dictionary as well as my bookshelf.

To begin, I had to look up what eugenics was. As a Biologist, Dr. Wells should know very well that selective breeding, whether for dominant characteristics or to prevent defects has been around for millenniums and predates Darwin's theory quite significantly. While properly applied to human breeding, the term may be new, but hardly a new concept. Human have been selectively breeding themselves since the first man and women decided to "'ava a go?" Whether it is for hips to carry or pleasant face, man as an animal has been choosing his mates carefully. Only now, with the help of technology can this choice be reduced to pure science instead of the slightly randomness of gut reactions.

I have a hard time tying racism to Darwin, but this is where the trip to the bookshelf will hopefully pay off. You see, I have a copy of Origin of Species and I was going to read it after I finished Aristotle, but I think I will move it to the top of the pile and see if I can find even a glimmer of a thread of a connection between racism and Darwin. Somehow I think I will find it another stretch.

So, imagine my surprise this morning to find this on my cup:

Evolution as described by Charles Darwin is a scientific theory, abundantly reconfirmed, explaining physical phenomena by physical causes. Intelligent Design is a faith-based initiative in rhetorical argument. Should we teach I.D. in America’s public schools? Yes, let’s do it – not as science, but alongside other spiritual beliefs, such as Islam, Zoroastrianism and the Hindu idea that the Earth rests on Chukwa, the giant turtle. -- David Quammen Author. His books include The Song of the Dodo and The Reluctant Mr. Darwin. (#220)

George Carlin once commented that some 95% of the species that have inhabited the planet Earth are extinct. Even if the percentage is not correct, it is sufficient to say that a large percentage are extinct. Further, it is probably statistically correct to say that we will never find evidence of their existence. This makes finding the missing link an even more improbable task. We have enough problems reconstructing the histories of 1000 years ago. To try and figure out the functional biology that got us from muck to man is little more than a guessing game based on "this looks good" and a few wild hunches that have paned out over time (or were actually documented - see Aristotle again, and a couple of his cohorts).

Darwin's own theories will be an interesting read and I will comment on them as I get to them. I expect that my general disdain for the so called Theory of Intelligent Design will only be reinforced. After all, if we were designed, you would think the designer would have found ways to make us easier to maintain.