Charles Darwin: There probably is no name in history that can cause more arguments in America than that one. Well, actually, it’s one side arguing and the other trying to resist sometimes.Charles Darwin was born 200 years ago today, and his influence is still being felt. He is one of the most important scientists the world has seen, and he made possible so much science that goes far beyond his area of study.
In America especially, there are people who insist that evolution is a myth, that all the universe is the result of special divine creation that took 144 hours 6,000 years ago. That position is completely irreconcilable with science, and therein lies the problem: Extremist christianists want the teaching of evolution to be banned or, at the very least, reduced to a sideshow alongside religion class.
To me, it’s pretty obvious that allowing religion to be taught alongside science in secular public school is an affront to rationality. Permitting it is not being tolerant of religion, it’s denying the reality of science.
So, here’s to Charles Darwin, who explained so much of the way the natural world works and made it possible for later scientists to understand even more. Darwin, despite being an agnostic, never tried to ban the teaching of religion.
A high resolution version of the photo accompanying this post is available for download from Wikipedia.
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