Charles Darwins 200th Birthday

[the iron horse]

“With me the horrid doubt always arises whether the convictions of man’s mind, which has been developed from the mind of the lower animals, are of any value or at all trustworthy. Would any one trust in the convictions of a monkey’s mind, if there are any convictions in such a mind?”


~Charles Darwin

 

[deep]

^ torture memos ?


that is why we need constant review and evaluation of writings, we are evolving into smarter monkeys.
we can eliminate the waste. not cling to it and call it holy.

 

[angelordevil]

...It's got nothing to do with Hollywood ideals of some super-race. At the end of it all, on this earth, as the sun goes supernova, the 'fittest' may well be hardy bacteria living inside rocks.

I'm really lichen your take on this.

 

[A_Wanderer]

“With me the horrid doubt always arises whether the convictions of man’s mind, which has been developed from the mind of the lower animals, are of any value or at all trustworthy. Would any one trust in the convictions of a monkey’s mind, if there are any convictions in such a mind?”


~Charles Darwin

The quote doesn't deny the fact of human origins

He who understands baboon would do more towards metaphysics than Locke

~Charles Darwin

 

[deep]

That Darwin quote is all about convictions.

I have never really heard people argue for people to be tolerant of their scientific convictions
or even for the enactment of laws to protect the practice their scientific convictions.

 

[AliEnvy]

Nothing says happy birthday like the fossil of a "walking seal".

CTV.ca | Canadian fossil find sheds new light on seal evolution

A model of the Puijila darwini, a four-legged, semi-aquatic creature.

 

[Cactus Annie]

Thank you posting that video Jive Turkey. It's interesting what this Ken Miller said about a "designer" and the fact that he's a Catholic. Again it proves that being a Christian doesn't mean that you should deny evolution, and Miller lectures on the subject. Has Ken Miller written any books on evolution?

 

[the iron horse]

The quote doesn't deny the fact of human origins

I don't know the source of your quote.

I can post a several more quotes where Darwin either doubted his theory or stated that future discoveries could disprove his theory. He was open to that happening.

I'm not trying to start a battle here, but the truth is that Darwin was not truly convinced his ideas were correct.

 

[A_Wanderer]

Darwin was a careful scientist who accepted the idea of falsifiability (that his theory could be disproven, like any other scientific theory). He also took two decades to collect the evidence which helped shape the theory. He did not publish until his hand was forced, at which time he had accrued a terrific quantity of data.

My quote was taken from Darwin's Notebook M, the context is speculation about the implications of human beings as evolved creatures, something which Darwin accepted. If you want a sceptic about evolving human intelligence look to Alfred Russell Wallace.

The idea that Darwin was very doubtful about evolution by the time that he published is an old creationist canard, not unlike the claims of deathbed conversion, it is also a lie. Of course you can pull in points where Darwin posited evidence which would disprove his hypothesis (mismatched fossils, unevolvable organs etc.) but in 200 years these have not come to light, and effectively all the new data fits into an evolutionary framework.


Rather than engage in creationist quote mining I suggest that you dig into some decent Darwinia and build up a picture of a fascinating man.
- Darwin Correspondence Project
- The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online

 

[BVS]

but the truth is that Darwin was not truly convinced his ideas were correct.

The truth is Darwin, like all humans should be, was careful to announce any absolutes. You know little about science or Darwin if you honestly think that quote meant he doubted his own theory.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

It's even better than a very special episode of Growing Pains


Kirk Cameron, best known for his role in the 1980s sitcom Growing Pains, now spends much of his time advocating for far-right Christian evangelical causes.

In a video posted recently to YouTube, Cameron lays out a plan to subvert 'Darwin Day' on November 22, 2009 -- a date marking the 150th anniversary of the publishing of Charles Darwin's "Origin of Species." Cameron says that he and like-minded activists plan to deliver 50,000 copies of an altered version of Darwin's book to students at dozens of U.S. universities.

Cameron explains that this "very special" edition of the "Origin of Species" will include an introduction explaining "Adolf Hitler's undeniable connection" to the theory of evolution, and highlighting "Darwin's racism" and "his disdain for women." Cameron's edition also exposes the "many hoaxes" of evolutionary theory, while presenting a "balanced view of Creationism."

YouTube - Origin Into Schools

 

[bigjohn2441]

YouTube - John Hurt monologue (the proposition)


love the bit about charles darwin & "MONKEEEEEEEEYS!"

 

[Jive Turkey]

I'd be down for requesting a couple hundred copies of Kirk Cameron's Origin of Species to 'give out at universities', then hold a mass bonfire. Anyone else in? We should start a grassroots campaign

 

[digitize]

Yay for scientific capitalism!

 

[DrTeeth]

Cameron explains that this "very special" edition of the "Origin of Species" will include an introduction explaining "Adolf Hitler's undeniable connection" to the theory of evolution, and highlighting "Darwin's racism" and "his disdain for women." Cameron's edition also exposes the "many hoaxes" of evolutionary theory, while presenting a "balanced view of Creationism."

You can point and laugh at this introduction over here!

 

[BEAL]

what a joke.

 

[Jive Turkey]

What kills me is how they think they're being so clever. How naive to you have to be to think that University students have never been exposed to the ridiculousness of Intelligent Design? I'd love to be there to see some of the reactions they get

 

[Jive Turkey]

Also, since its also public domain, I think we should rework a version of the bible to include evolution and hand it out to sunday school children

 

[Jive Turkey]

You can point and laugh at this introduction over here!

Oh fuck, they're using the "suppose that this book happened by accident. At first there was nothing, then paper appeared, then ink randomly fell from the sky....". It clearly illustrates that they have NO FUCKING CLUE about the mechanisms of evolution. bunch of halfwits


Alright, I had to stop reading it. At first, its funny to know how little these people have actually tried to understand the theory that they belittle, but to think that there are people out there who will actually take what they say at face value is infuriating. And the fact that the same arguments - ones that i know have been clearly explained to them as having no merit - are dragged out again and again is beyond retardation.

 

[BEAL]

well, i just love the argument "How can something come from nothing?????OMGZ!!!" Yet when questioning who created God, he/she/it was already there and created itself...basically created from nothing. Or it just always existed.

That just makes so much better sense!

 

[Irvine511]

you know, Kirk Cameron is still pretty hot.

 

[indra]

you know, Kirk Cameron is still pretty hot.

Really?

I have to admit I always thought he was rather boring looking.

 

[DrTeeth]

I used to have a crush on Tracey Gold

 

[Pearl]

Kirk Cameron's radical beliefs embarrass me as a Christian.

 

[BonosSaint]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/24/science/24obsnake.html?hpw=&pagewanted=print


NY Times

May 18, 2011
Fossil Sheds Light on the Lizard-Snake Divide
By SINDYA N. BHANOO

The origin of snakes is a perplexing matter. Although DNA analysis suggests that snakes are related to monitor lizards and iguanas, they are anatomically more similar to a group of earthwormlike creatures called worm lizards.

Now a new study helps clear the confusion, suggesting that worm lizards are related not to snakes, but to lacertids, a group of limbed lizards found in Europe, Africa and Asia.

Writing in the journal Nature, researchers identify a 47 million-year-old fossilized lizard in Germany that appears to be a common relative to both lacertids and worm lizards.

“This was the transitionary animal; it was exactly what we were looking for,” said Johannes Müller, a paleozoologist at the Natural History Museum in Berlin and the study’s first author. “It indirectly implies that identifying burrowing worm lizards with snakes is a mistake.”

Dr. Müller and his co-authors used X-ray computed tomography, or CT scans, to study the skull of the fossilized lizard and compare it with living lizards and snakes. They found that the fossilized lizard had a thickened, capsulelike skull with no external ear opening, similar to worm lizards.

The fossil was discovered in Messel Pit, a fossil site near Frankfurt and a Unesco World Heritage Site. The lizard, named Cryptolacerta hassiaca, is less than three inches in length and is the only known specimen of its kind.