February 12, 2009 is the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin, quite possibly one of the most important figures in human history. I'm not saying the most, but definitely somewhere in the top 100.
But why, you may ask, is there so much emphasis put on this man and his writings?
Why are his theories so important?
I'm glad you asked that question. If you weren't going to ask, screw you. I hope you would have asked eventually.
Darwin's theories on evolution and natural selection are important for three huge reasons.
First, they show us how life took the shape that it has today, and how it got there. Modern biological research would probably not exist in its current form if it wasn't for the the theory of natural selection.
Second, his writings showed the world that, for the first time, something complex could come from something simple, working either on its own or under a specific series of guidelines. As humans, we're used to thinking of time based off of our lifetimes, so we tend to think that if it doesn't change during our tiny lifespans, then it must not change. But the Universe works a heck of a lot differently than we do, and it has much more time. While a million years might seem like a long time for us, it is merely a day or a week in the history of the Earth. Also, natural selection showed how a species can create its own path in this world by selective breeding. I'll get into more detail about that in another post.
Finally, and of possibly greatest importance for future generations, Darwin showed humanity for the first time how life can exist without God. I'm not saying there weren't Atheists before Darwin, but they had it much harder than we do today, and not just because of the Catholics (The Inquisition, what a show). They didn't have an explanation as to how the world began, how life began, or how the Universe started. They had a likely supposition, but that was it. They were lacking evidence and a theory. Because of this, a lot of people were Deists - They didn't believe in a personal god like Yahweh or Allah, but because they didn't have a God-Free explanation for the world around them like we do today, they were forced to say that some kind of "Grand Architect" made the laws of the universe and of science. (BTW, the founding fathers were Deists. Why do you think we have a separation of Church and State, but not one mention of JC and the Holy Ghost in the Constitution?)
But, Darwin and Natural Selection changed this. Even though he never specifically pointed out humans in his work, it was certainly implied that we evolved to become the hairless (some more than others) bipedal primates that wear hats and talk that you see today. Because the problem that people realized with a divine creator, whether or not they were directly involved with the design of life, was the problem of infinite regression. Let's say God created the world. Then who created God? And who created God's Creator? And who created God's Creator's Creator? And who created God's Creator's Creator's Creator? Ad Infinitum. Instead, we saw how something simple, given enough time and proper conditions, could create something complex. With Natural Selection and Evolution, the role of God was reduced from Creator to Annoying Voyeur. It went from being Parent to Babysitter. And some parts of humanity have shown that we no longer need a babysitter.
I know I probably won't see it in my lifetime, but I'd like to see us evolve past religion. Maybe if people weren't so convinced that there was an afterlife, they might stop and enjoy the only one we're guaranteed.
Happy Darwin Day!
No comments:
Post a Comment