One afternoon in June of 1860, upon hearing Charles Darwin’s suggestion that humans may have descended from apes, the wife of the Bishop of Worcester is famously supposed to have exclaimed, My dear, descended from the apes! Let us hope it is not true, but if it is, let us pray that it will not become generally known.
Darwin had published his famous work on the mechanism of evolution, On the Origin of Species, the year before, and debates and arguments had begun almost the moment the book appeared.
It is likely Darwin realized his book would be controversial. After all, contrary to what most people suppose, he didn’t actually do more than hint at the possibility that humans were part of this evolutionary process in On the Origin of Species. It wasn’t until 1871, when he published another deeply controversial text, The Descent of Man, that his views on human evolution became explicit. Nonetheless, many a debate had happened in the years between, and Victorian England, like much of Europe and America on hearing about Darwin’s theory, found itself divided into two camps: those who found evolution plausible and those who either did not find it plausible or—more likely—did not think evolution could fit in with their religious views.
After all, the latter group asked, if humans evolved over millions of years and shared a common ancestor with the great apes, how could a god have created Adam and Eve? Was that not a flagrant violation of the book of Genesis? Did God simply “stop” evolution—if it had indeed occurred—at some point and imbue a primate with a soul? Or was the Adam and Eve story just that—a story that, for the first time, could be demonstrably proven impossible? These questions came at a time when more and more dinosaur bones and entire skeletons were being discovered, and similar debates were raging on about what had happened to those mysterious giants.
One of the most extraordinary proposals came from a man called Philip Henry Gosse, who suggested in a book called Omphalos that God had put the bones in the dirt to trick those who were too curious. There were also many debates going on about the universe. How big was it? How old was it? Was there life on other planets, just like on Earth?
All of these arguments coincided, at some point, with Darwin’s theory.
The mere fact that these debates existed at all was testament to how well Darwin thought out and provided evidence for his theory. And it is often forgotten that Darwin did not come up with this theory in a vacuum. Not only were there theories resembling evolution in circulation over a century before Darwin (such as those of Lamarck), but there was also another man, Alfred Russell Wallace, who came up with a theory strikingly similar to Darwin’s at almost the same time. Wallace corresponded with Darwin, and he sent Darwin his own theory of natural selection in 1858; to Darwin’s shock, Wallace’s theory was virtually the same as his own. It was, in fact, fear that Wallace would take credit for the idea that led Darwin to publish his work first, since he had put it away indefinitely before learning of Wallace.
But it is worth being aware that, had Darwin not published one of the world’s most famous and controversial texts, someone else would have. The theory of evolution, being a scientific theory, has nothing to do with Darwin except for his having first published a relatively comprehensive account of it. And, because we have learnt a lot since 1859—much of which Darwin himself would never know—it is now clear to over 99% of biologists today, as well as many an intellectuals in many a field, that evolution is the best theory we have to explain how life moved from very simple organisms to very complex ones, over great periods of time. While a lot of what is in
Darwin’s books was correct, a number of his ideas have been revised as we have learnt more. We have much more fossil evidence than Darwin did (or can examine the fossils with more advanced technology), including such spectacular creatures as the Archaeopteryx (a creature that is a dinosaur with clear birdlike characteristics) and the fossils of the Burgess Shale; we have evidence of creatures who have gradually almost lost features they once had, like the vestigial tail in humans you can see in our skeletons, and the legs you can see in the skeletons of both whales and snakes; we have the fact that viruses evolve (and often make the news for it), forcing us to continually develop new vaccines; and, above all, we have learnt that all organisms are genetically connected. Put human genes into a fruit fly, and the fly will use those genes as if they were a fly’s. Compare our genes to a chimpanzee’s, and they are almost the same. We are more different from each other, really, than we are from a chimpanzee, genetically speaking.
So why is there such a big argument nowadays over evolution?
Technically, there isn’t really an argument in the Caribbean—in large part because the majority of Caribbean people are creationists and have either never learnt about evolution or have simply rejected it out of dislike or disinterest. February 12th is Darwin Day—the day Darwin was born, and a day many a scientist and secularist celebrate. Let’s say on that day, you go up and ask the average person on the street about Darwin’s theory. They might know it was evolution, but beyond that, who knows what you’ll hear.
This needs to change.
One step towards becoming a more advanced society—and no one but the naïve or the medieval-minded would argue that we have steps to take—is that people become aware of the world around them. This does not only mean watching or reading the news. This means knowing about important historical events. It means having a smart, cultured answer to some of our most enduring and important questions: Who are we? How did we get here? Where is here, anyway? Why am I here? And that answer is not one you memorize; it is one you continually revise and redevelop as you learn more, explore more, contact more people from more backgrounds.
There are many facets of such questions. Evolution is but one of them—though it may be one of the most important. It is worth understanding that the Earth has been shown to be 4.6 billion years old and that the universe itself is currently estimated at 13.72 billion years old. It is worth knowing that our solar system—the sun and the planets surrounding it—is but one of thousands within the Milky Way Galaxy, and that our home galaxy is one of billions of similar galaxies, each likely containing planets and suns just like our own. It is worth knowing that space is so vast, and our planet so tiny, that we will likely never travel outside of our solar system in a spaceship—much less to anywhere else out there. It is worth knowing that the universe is expanding—making us even tinier than before.
It is worth knowing that 99% of life that has ever been known to exist on Earth is extinct today—and that the life forms we can only see under a microscope were the first to be here and will still be here long after we have gone, since it is the microbes which truly rule the world, when you stop to think about it. Pick up a handful of dirt, and you may be holding more little organisms than human beings alive today.
It is worth knowing, too, how the religions we hold so dear was given to us, how some of us may never have even heard of a Jesus or a Mohammed if we had remained all our lives in Africa. It is unlikely, of course, since colonialism has left many parts of Africa intensely religious—and yet there are still peoples there, as there are tribes across the world, who know nothing of our religions. Give that a thought. Are those peoples worse off? Or are their own belief systems just as valid as our own, since none of us knows the absolute answers to life’s questions, at the end of the day? Why are so many of us so arrogant as to believe that religions given to us by missionaries centuries ago are correct?
Whether or not you are religious, it is a step in the right direction to accept that evolution is the best theory science has for how life went from simple to complex. It is not a theory of how life began from non-life. (That would be an entirely separate idea known as abiogenesis, an idea not currently supported by nearly as much evidence as evolution—though that does not make it wrong, of course.) And once we accept that we are indeed animals, intimately related to the other animals around us, doesn’t that make you stop and think about so much else? What does it mean to be a primate who has evolved so far beyond other organisms? Do we mean less than we do if we ignore that we are animals?
Do we mean more?
Does it matter, if it is true?
And that’s the final point: the truth. Even if the truth may not always be pretty, I would rather accept what is most likely true than hide behind something that comforts me with false hope or a false sense of superiority. I love imagining things—I am a writer of fiction, after all—but I am well-aware of the difference between what I dream up and what is most likely the truth. And once we accept that there is much we do not know, once we let go of what we only believe in, and once we step forward and examine what we do know—well, I’m willing to believe we will ultimately be the better for it. At the very least, we will be more honest with ourselves.
Of course, those who do not really think much about things like evolution now will not necessarily benefit from learning or not learning about it. But those of us who want to know things, and those of us struggling with the questions of who we are and what it all means, would do well to begin—or get to soon—the strange, wonderful, and redefining theory a brave man put into words over a century and a half ago.
We are an evolving set of islands, the Caribbean. If we take the step to educate ourselves and others on the big issues and ideas so often ignored or underemphasized in the region, we will be taking a step in a direction that can do us nothing but good. Let us take that step, and let us remember, along the way, the brave steps Darwin himself took, steps that would have profound effects on the world. Let us become the best people we can be.
There is two statements or questions that are constantly pose here by the critics of science that disturbs me greatly, and these questions speaks to why the author of this article is so correct, not just about Darwin and evolution, but about our education in the Caribbean. 1)The statement “it is just a theory.” This is kinder-garden. It shows how little we know about science and how science works. If we did, despite have disagreement with science, this dumb ass statement will never come up as part of science discussion.
2) The question “why doesn’t monkeys change into humans today”. This question again is dumb. This is religious propaganda against science to discredit the fact that evolution had been conformed. Science has never made such claim that humans come from monkeys. A little study of what science is will inform us of that.
Look, let me say this, anyone asking or making these two claims should be shamed into going back to school and get some real knowledge. By the way, I am constantly amazed of how much I don’t know, but I do know that there is no facts of “talking snakes”, nor “man putting the sun to stand sill”, nor “some dud walking on water”, etc.
Hey how about you ignore that electronical device that you’re using right now which is the result of scientific discovery. Hey if religious zealots had gotten their way with Edison back in the day we probably wouldn’t even have electricity right now. Sigh…
It is interesting to read the comments attempting to pit Darwinism against God. The two need not be enemies. However, I think more people need to understand that religion is manmade. God did not create Christianity or Islam; human beings, in their attempt to understand the world around them – much like scientists seek to do – created different systems based on established beliefs and accepted norms.
So, you see religion and science stemmed from the same human need – the need to understand the natural world that we see, hear, smell, touch and taste.
Strange that you should say that,but the world that we see,hear,smell, touch and taste is not the natural world, it is the perceived world.
Except for the fact that while science continues on that route to find out more and explain more religion is busy trying to shut down progress. All you need to do is listen the way the sheep speak and you will realize that there is a strong opposing force in these organizations against scientific progress and discovery. As evidence you can review the 40-50% of the comments spouting religious garbage arguments, if they can even be called arguments that is.
An excellent article. Thank you DNO.
Can I also recommend “A Short History of Nearly Everything” by Bill Bryson as an amazing book which explains the history of the Earth and universe and the evolution of mankind in simple and often amusing terms that even the non-science minded can understand.
I personally find it incredible that many of the children at primary school cannot pick out Dominica on a globe, never mind stating our position in the solar system.
one thing I don’t get with the evolution theory, and its still a theory… and its how does everything evolve from nothing. And if i could ask the evolutionists.. A termite cannot cannot digest wood, but there r smaller organisms within its digestive tracts that digest it… they have been prooven to be separate entities yet none can live without the other… Which one evolved 1st?
You really need to look up what the word THEORY means in scientific literature. The word THEORY as used in science is not the same as the colloquially used term. Similar to the way the general public would say bananas grow on trees, when in fact they are not actually trees. A theory is “A coherent group of tested general propositions, commonly regarded as correct, that can be used as principles of explanation and prediction for a class of phenomena” The THEORY of evolution is considered no less valid then the THEORY of gravity, relativity, or even personality. So, feel free to argue your flawed point in any other way, but to call a THEORY a guess is no more valid then suggesting a car is an animal because it stands on four legs. A good place to start in an argument is to know the definition of the words you use.
Gravity is also a “theory”, you know. In science a theory is an established fact. When used colloquially, the word theory often refers instead to a hypothesis or unestablished idea.
So, evolution is an establish fact.
Ever took a vaccine? That was the work of doctors and other scientists utilizing knowledge gained as a result of understanding the theory of evolution and natural selection.
I do not have enough faith to believe that man came from monkeys.It makes more sense to believe in a intelligent design.Than to believe that I evolved from a monkey.By the way who told, or stop monkeys from producing men?
The writer asked,Who are we?Let me speak for myself.
I am a child of the ALMIGHTY CREATOR, THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST THE SAVIOR.
How did we get here anyway?
Here is my answer,and in my humble opinion it is more reasonable than saying I came from a monkey.And by and by I lost my tail.
Acts 17:26 He (God)created all the people of the world from one man,Adam and scattered the nations across the face of the earth etc.
Why am I here?
I am here to glorify my creator by obeying His words and letting my people know Jesus Christ is the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD.
Well said. God created us in his own likeness and image and we are wonderful made.
Why do those who know the least know it the loudest?
Can’t it be that god created the world through evolution? I am thinking if i make a machine with my very own hands then it goes on to make many other stuff with a push of a button and won’t stop till i stop it.
IN 2012 you believe in fairy magic a GOD that say let there be light on the first day, but did not create the light source until the 4th day. Read your magic book..
Never try to understand spiritual things via reasoning and natural evidence. YOU WILL CONTINUE TO CONFUSE YOURSELF. UNLESS YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST YOU WILL NOT UNDERSTAND. cheers
You don’t really understand it, do you? See? There are some things that even YOU can’t understand.
Nice try Mr. Bellot, here is an article which proves Darwin otherwise. http://www.presstv.ir/detail/226871.html
I think you are mistaken. Evolution says NOTHING about the origins of life. It merely accounts for the variation of life on the planet.
(insert bad word) EVOLUTION HAS NEVER STOPPED, EVOLUTION IS CHANGE IT IS ON GOING ALL THE TIME, BUT AT OUR SCALE IT IS IMPERCEPTIBLY SLOW. BACTERIA EVOLVE ALL THE TIME. YOU PEOPLE ARE IGNORANT BEYOND COMPREHENSION, AN APE DOESN’T NEED TO TURN INTO A MAN FOR IT TO BE EVOLUTION.
IN FACT LET ME END THIS IT IS GENETICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR AN ENTIRE SPECIES WITH SUCH A DIVERSE GENOME TO SPRING FROM 2 INDIVIDUALS. THAT IS WHY WHEN A SPECIES IS ON THE ENDANGERED LIST ARE RANKED ON PENDING EXTINCTION OR NOT, IT’S NOT POSSIBLE TO RECOVER A WHOLE SPECIES FROM 10 INDIVIDUALS. Of course the bible thumpers will say god did it so it’s possible.
I’m seeing a lot of ignorance and ignorant people that haven’t bothered to do a lick of reading before opening their traps.
serious scene
Why is it that those who are quick to label others as ignorant are themselves most disrespectful? Does education cause one to lose respect for others?
The effort you have to put into acquiring knowledge forces you to lose respect for those who don’t bother to even make an attempt at ridding themselves of ignorance and continue to blatantly spew their inane drivel as if it were fact.
Do you really think such THEORY can knock Jesus (THE TRUTH) off HIS throne?
It is amazing how atheists go out of their way to prove there is no god. Yet, all they have to rely on is a THEORY by a man who could not even save himself from death. How about the truth! You are utilizing earthly literature (FACTS) to prove heavenly (spiritual) things (TRUTH). You will not succeed.
Up until 40 years old Darwin believed in Christ and was strong in his faith. His attempt in medical school proved futile so he proceeded to study toward becoming a clergyman but he was influenced by the teachingS of one who focused on natural theology (reason and ordinary experience); hence, he shifted from scripture and revealed theology (“religious” experience). That is where he began his THEORY (he started guessing – in other words).
The thought of spending eternity in hell got to Darwin- it didn’t seem possible to him that those who didn’t believe in Christ will be damned so he try to comfort himself by finding an alternate explanation, so he developed a hypothesis and that is all it is -A THEORY. He surmised things based on what HE THOUGHT happened or was happening.
“I can indeed hardly see how anyone ought to wish Christianity to be true; for if so the plain language of the text seems to show that the men who do not believe, and this would include my Father, Brother and almost all my best friends, will be everlastingly punished. And this is a damnable” (Darwnin’s own words).
While Darwin looked for hard evidence of God, by reason and ordinary experience he missed the real evidence (revelation) which is given only by the Holy Spirit of God. The man who once called JESUS LORD backslid and in his pursuit of truth told a lie, which unfortunately many digested to satisfy their atheistic views. You are in the same position as Darwin was when he developed this THEORY (hypothesis) – you are seeking for the truth via mere reason and ordinary experience – you will NOT find it because only JESUS is the truth!
“Our Genes are ALMOST the same” as that of a chimp but they are NOT the same because GOD created them that way – he didn’t want them to be the same. WHO MADE THE GENES? Who made the chimps?
Some have called for “sensible” argument – don’t you know that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with GOD? We are not sent to ARGUE with the world, we are sent to INFLUENCE the world not with enticing words of wisdom but with the demonstration of the power of GOD.
You may argue that there is no GOD from now to eternity, unless one has the Spirit of God, he will NOT understand the things of GOD because the things of God are spiritually discerned.
If Darwin rise from his grave right now, he would bow his head and say, “I told a lie”.
Nothing in this world can convince me that GOD doesn’t exist or that he did not create human beings –I speak from experience with JESUS – No one can argue with a revelation or a miracle. Ask those who when I told them that Father God told me this, or that is going to happen to them tomorrow and when it did all they can ask is “how did you know it was going to happen?” Ask those whom I have seen healed by just calling on the name of JESUS.
Darwin’s THEORY only serve as a comfort for atheists but the day will come when you stand before the ALMIGHTY GOD, creator of heaven and earht – it will be interesting to see the expression on your faces. You need to get your own experience with GOD and stop trying to intellectualize things.
Lastly, whether you believe or not, no amount of worldly wisdom -scientific or otherwise, can dispel the truth that “For by him were ALL things created, that are in HEAVEN, and that are in EARTH, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him” AMEN!
You really need to look up what the word THEORY means in scientific literature. The word THEORY as used in science is not the same as the colloquially used term. Similar to the way the general public would say bananas grow on trees, when in fact they are not actually trees. A theory is “A coherent group of tested general propositions, commonly regarded as correct, that can be used as principles of explanation and prediction for a class of phenomena” The THEORY of evolution is considered no less valid then the THEORY of gravity, relativity, or even personality. So, feel free to argue your flawed point in any other way, but to call a THEORY a guess is no more valid then suggesting a car is an animal because it stands on four legs. A good place to start in an argument is to know the definition of the words you use.
THERE is nothing you or anyone else can do to DETHRONE JESUS CHRIST. You can apply all your enticing words of wisdom, you may intellectualize as much as you want you can’t prevent GOD from being GOD.
SORRY
thanks for your 1000 or so words of pure BS
Full religious retard detected. I guess you have your PHD right? That’s why you can spout bull so confidently. Oh that’s Praise, Healing and Deliverance by the way not the degree.
It is time we as People get to understand that Religion and Science are structured and controlled at the top by certain people, it is all an illusion to keep mankind in the dark from not knowing their true self,confusion, name of the game.Knowledge of self is what they don’t want us to know. It is as though a blind has been put on the human race.Before we can understand the Darwinism concept of evolution we have to know who was Charles Darwin also before we understand the creationist concept based on the Bible we have to understand what is the Bible and who wrote it, and how it came about.
Real knowledge is not found the traditional way as we know it by going to school or obtaining a degree, by real knowledge i mean arcane knowledge,
knowledge that is understood by very few,mysterious,secret,obscure and esoteric.This
knowledge is given through Invitation and initiation or some may stumble across it having a few pieces of the puzzle. The majority of people are lazy when it comes to obtaining knowledge they just accept what is being told to them by authority and not doing their homework. One of the most cardinal sins in life is not using your inquiry mind to seek knowledge and answers as a result we wallow in ignorance.Most of us go from
the cradle to the grave without knowing nothing
Can we not understand why we are keep from knowing our true being, who we are, and where we come from, that is deliberately done to us,with our cooperation by accepting and conforming to the things that are being told to us but yes, we as humans do have the capacity to remove that veil
and get the glimpse of that light to free us. Do you know if we remove that veil, the world would be a better place certain people would lose their authority and control, their compartmentalize structure would crumble to dust in their face.
This is not about a believe in creation from the Bible or evolution believing in Darwinism,none of these beliefs can free mankind in the situation we are right now, these are just blindfolds given to us,religion and science do not have the answers.Religion is robbing our minds retarding us Science is feeding us materialism satisfying our gratification, how more insane can we be.
Religion has been in the forefront of keeping the human race in the dark that is what it was designed for. Mr Bellot is entitled to his belief
but his head line statement that “We must stop denying or not thinking of evolution” portray some form of arrogance by him.It is like in your face, you should not doubt the evolution theory.It is so laughable reading the last paragraph of Mr Bellot commentary.Thinking that a belief in evolution is what we in the region need right now as an issue to test our ability to think or be progressive as a people,how ludicrous and nonsensical that can be. Has Mr Bellot not seen what has happen in the US with such a debate, is that what he wants to see happen among us, polarization of our schools regarding the creationist and evolutionist. It is time we wake up from that spell that has been put over us.Time
to look within ourselves, use one of our God given gifts, that is to think and not take on silly beliefs given to us by Religion or Darwinism theory,remember if we do think for ourselves someone will do the thinking for us, is this we want.
Alot of words,nothing said.I still don’t know what real knowledge is.
Knowledge and wisdom is in JESUS CHRIST – Don’t you worry, one day you will find out.
It’s good to see the religious zealots cower in their little hole afraid to make a sensible argument against this article.
Every time an accident happens and a person survives, they say it was god’s will. Ans I keep asking, if god saved that person, whose will was it that caused the accident. Every good act is attibuted to god, while he has nothing to do with things that cause suffering.
Wake up my people, stop believing in things because you were born into a religion – something you had no control over. But you do have control to break free from the shackles of religious dogma.
This Darwin day should not be celebrated by especially Caribbean people, for it’s those same texts which have been used to keep Black people down, to cast us as inferior to other humans.
This raises a very interesting question Nac. If Genesis is true and God created Adam and Eve as the first people, what colour were they? And if not for evolution how do you explain the racial diversity we have in the world today?
The vanity of Scientists. All hail science, the real God, the tool which convinces man that he is greater than God.Who needs God when we know what he knows.But science was given to man by God and is not bad, it’s what man does with science that will eventually cause his demise.
THAT IS CORRECT! a people who like nimrod and his gang want to build a tower to reach the heavens so they can position themselves as gods.
AS i have always said religion can do strange things to the mind of man even to the point of believing in fairy tales. Do you really believe that the building of a tower to reach heaven as the Biblical story says is a threat to God and God does not want nobody to position themselves to him. It bewilders me.
So what is your thought about the space programme and the international space station, is it a threat to God because through these things man is trying to position himself in the heavens as Gods.
Why do people insist on saying it takes faith to believe in evolution? Faith is to believe something without question, without proof; check a dictionary. Science does not go by faith and we do not blindly believe any idea or theory that is thrust before us without questioning and re questioning it.
That’s because you cannot prove evolution. It’s a THEORY. You have to decide to believe it.
I honestly try to keep from posting anything on DNO, but this one i could not resist. Let me state my position, I am Rastafarian by faith. I went to two Christian Colleges in the US.
With that said, when ever evolution came into biology, the professors would say that they don’t believe in Darwinism (evolution), but they are mandated to teach it.
My first issue with this, is that after all these years, it is still a theory. Until it cannot entirely be proven as a fact, then it will always remain one. Einstein theory, was recently discredited.
Secondly, so all of a sudden evolution has stopped? Apes stop evolving into man? If Darwin was right, then they would still be evolving.
Does Darwinism plausible, yes it is! is it a fact No, and will never be. As for comparing country’s evolution we all learn about erosion and natural disasters how they can affect land form. Is this Darwinism, I doubt that
Mahaut you are asking the same dumb questions. Evolution never says monkeys changes into humans. It proves that apes, chimps, and other monkeys or great apes came from the same family line. So, if you are waiting for monkeys to change into humans you will never see that, period. That’s not evolution. Another question that shows you should have gone to another school is the phrase “it is still a theory”. This shows that you have no idea of what is science or how science work. For Haile Selassie I sake, you teachers were most likely CHRISTIANS. what do you expect.
“went to two Christian Colleges in the U.S.”
And you expect them to willingly teach a theory that erodes the very foundation of their belief in a supreme power? One thing I have realized after having discussions with different people including professors, students, researchers etc of different faiths and many being atheists is that intelligence does not necessarily dictate rationality.
These people are very intelligent, they have mastered some of the more harrowing intricacies of science, had they not they would not be qualified to be professors, even in a “christian college” (what does that really mean anyway?).
However in spite of the vast amount of knowledge they have acquired they still allow irrational delusion to cloud their judgement. This is a testament to the psychological stranglehold that religion can have on people. Mental slavery indeed.
Finally! This needed to be said.
yes chemistry major
I must say this was a great article. And barring the fact that it will attract religious trolls, it will hopefully serve to enlighten those who are willing to take the time out to read but perhaps may not have been directly exposed to this information before.
We as caribbean people need to have a greater love for education and attainment of information. We are very talented, intelligent and hardworking people. If we can create out of these attributes a culture more science oriented we can possibly make great strides. We have too long been limiting scientific study to the classrooms and examinations, it needs to become part of our everyday lives. This is the only we we can possibly advance.
Two thoughts: (1) It takes as much faith to believe evolution as it does to believe in creation. Creation supplies the missing link: Purpose. Evolution gives absolutely no clue as to WHY this is all happening. (2) A few days ago I stood watching an Airbus A380 coming in to land and thought, “What makes people think the universe and all that it contains could have evolved?”
So a desert god of the middle east made the Airbus A380? Was it not the evolved brains of human beings who developed skills over a couple million years who made the airplane?
You totally missed the point. Which is more complex: the universe or the A380? They both, in their complexity, give irrefutable evidence of design. How could there be design without a designer? How could there be design without ultimate purpose?
Totallly amazed by the comments on this article. Evolution is no longer an arguable topic,only the religous fanstics who refuse to rid themselves of the dogmatic cocoon that envelopes them still accept creationism.
With the advent of the internet and in particular
Google scientific knowledge is no longer as esoteric as it used to be. My dominican brothers please read at least fifteen minutes a day,EDUCATE YOURSELVES.
There is a problem with the people who decent to this article and that is ignorance. In fact, reading their comments and the question they ask, it appears that they did not even read the article. They are the people St. Thomas Aquinas spoke about, the ignorant believers who are love by the church. They, he described as the vertiginous one. He is right, the dumber your the better for the church and religion, period. Stop asking dumb question and read the article. The answers are right there….
Thanks for a good article Jonathan. But our people have been so thoroughly brainwashed with the story of the garden of Eden and the talking snake etc. etc. that they are not going to take you on and will be down right abusive.
The Europeans gave them a book full of myths and legends, middle eastern tribal wars, and stuff that was put in long after Jesus of Nazareth was dead and they lapped it up. It gives them comfort and is the crutch on which they lean and they will be angry at you for spoiling their story.
All the proof in the world that our species, homo sapiens, emerged in east Africa and walked out to populate the world, will not convince them.
They feel that Dominica was formed in one day and not by volcanoes over millions of years as our geology clearly shows.
It is good that you tried, but ignorance is rife and the pastors have a vested interest in keeping the people so.
Thanks for being brave enough anyway.
Dear Roughcake, what makes you feel that people who believe the Bible cannot disagree without being abusive? Why does the choice to believe one thing as opposed to the next constitute “ignorance?” Would I be fair in saying that by embracing evolution you are ignorant? Why is so difficult to simply state your case instead of whipping those who choose to believe otherwise?
Dear MewMew, I am not being abusive.
I am just stating the situation as it is. People are indeed generally ignorant of how Dominica was formed or how tectonic plates move over the planet. I am using ‘ignorant’ in the sense that they do not know….And because all religion is based on faith rather than factual scientific proof, very often they block their minds to any explanation of how things actually are.
Check out Galileo on Google and find out how the church persecuted him because he showed that the Earth moved around the Sun and that Earth was not the centre of the universe. This attitude still continues among those who prefer to be ignorant of the facts.
Hi RoughCake. Please be reminded that you were the one who spoke of people being abusive. All I’m saying is that it’s not fair to presume that those who choose to believe the Bible will respond to this article in an abusive manner.
Excellent response, very true.
http://thenewhumanism.org/authors/jonathan-bellot/articles/less-than-paradise
This is the best article DNO have ever published. We need more of this: articles on science, philosophy, literature and the like. Please DNO, keep getting more of these articles publish by scientific-minded Dominicans, who are not just interested in politics.
darwin “SUGGESTION” – Seek the TRUTH not suggestions.
People do some research about the human DNA and explain how can evolution theory explains it. compare the information storage capacity of the Human brain and explain which other living creature is close to store such info. Prove here which other species other the human specie that has brought significant technological innovation to this little blue ball spinning on its orbits. finally if we evoluted why are there chimps, monekys etc that haven’t elevated from their animalistic state?
“Natural selection,’which is the foundation stone of Darwinism is what explains DNA– the inherited genes from the “fit” to their offspring. DNA was build on the Darwinian method. Ask any geneticist or just simply look it up on Wikipedia.
“evoluted” – Pseudo-intellectual wannabe detected. Go learn proper grammar and spelling, proper terms etc. then we can have an argument. In the mean time stop spouting garbage arguments you’ve heard from other creationists and instead of claiming that other’s don’t research do some research yourself.
Good article. I await the storm of ‘righteous indignation’ from the God Squad.
The Bible’s account for creation is what we should accept, it’s accurate and reliable. There’s no such thing as evolution,….. and will never accept it.
Nobody was talking about creation here. We are talking about evolution, change. If you want to talk about creation see abiogenesis, big bang theory etc.
Seriously? Are you aware of the origins of said Bible? I see no reason to accept the Bible as being of more credibility than the hard work of hundreds of scientists over the past few hundred years; all of whom shirked the thought of making their inherent biases mold the evidence, but instead letting the evidence lead where it may – even to places uncomfortable for those at the time to accept, given the worldview they were raised to accept as fact.
Sadly, we cannot say the same for the Bible of which you speak. If anything it’s bias nature is plain as day for any person from outside of the clutches of it’s dogma to see. Try stepping outside of that cozy place for a little while and see what wonders and truths await in the real world.
*sigh*. I smell a pastor.
“”majority of caribbean people are creationist and have either never learnt about evolution or have simply rejected it out of dislike or disinterest””
It may take some time to shake them out of the stranglehold that religion has on their intellect for them to embrace the scientific achievement of our species. Maybe the technologies that they take so much for granted and just can’t do without nowadays will finally prove how far we have evolved..
And I quote: “I am a writer of fiction, after all.” Therefore mr Bellot, as far as I am concerned, this entire commentary is fictional.
Hardly. This is scientific fact, more than amply demonstrated by observable data. Can you say as much for your silly religious beliefs? Of course not – you all fall back on the tired old, “It’s a matter FAITH” rationalization. Hogwash!
As long as people are gullible enough to swallow the unsupported claims of religious shamans they will never be capable of influencing their own futures, and remain mired in superstition. That’s fine if you want to live that way, but denying reality will only carry you so far.
If religion is so profound and wonderful, why has it been responsible for more wars, more poverty, more repression than any other factor in life? Yeah, I know – “it’s God’s will”. This great and good god you all worship lets you starve, kill each other and suffer under theocratic dictators. What a fine god that is. And if you don’t pay obeisance to him, he’ll commit you to an eternity of suffering and wipe out your offspring for seven generations to come. Sounds more like a spoiled brat than a hero to me.
Wake up! Smell the coffee! Open your eyes and your minds and you might just see your way to making life better for yourselves and the rest of the human species. Continue to deny reality and subscribe to superstition and you will remain forever oppressed by your own ignorance.
FACT should never be confused with TRUTH!
i didn’t even read to the 2nd paragraph>>> u know why??? cause we mustn’t let such nonsense get into our minds… first gay business now darwinian theory…. but though i’m not a scientist by any kind… i’d like those darwinians to answer this question….
if humans evolved from apes then why is our ‘apes species’ the only one to evolve while all other species of apes remained the same???
please enlighten me with hard facts that stand like a straight sergeant in a match session. i kept is off religion for once. my people should not read in full or listen to such nonsense… why listen to someone if what they are going to tell you is negative? let’s shove negativity away… chaaaa
Further to your proposition “why is our ‘apes species’ the only one to evolve while all other species of apes remained the same???” I have a further query: WHY HAVE HUMANS NOT EVOLVED INTO ANYTHING HIGHER OR MORE SOPHISTICATED? Are we really all that perfect that adaptation and evolution are no longer necessary? It always baffles me that the evolution process seems to have decided to call a halt when it got to homo sapiens …
It is not halted. It is still going on. Overpopulation, overgrowding, chemical foods and increased cancers etc etc it is all slowly continuing.
@roughcake
exactly. What most people don’t understand is this is a process that takes a very long time for any significant changes to show. However if we take the time to look and investigate we can find lots of information pointing to subtle changes that have been going on in ours and other species.
To roughcake; the next time i hear from u, u will be fine cake. lol
we didn’t evolve for apes,we are indeed apes, by whom we have a common parents or ancestors, no less– we are in effect the fifth ape. DNA technology has already confirm this fact– the genetic codes portrayed bears an unmistakable connection and sameness in a great many respects between Humans and the chimpanzees and other anthropoidal animals.
Why do you say you stop reading after the second paragraph? How are you going to understand the “conformable Evolutionary theory” if you don’t read it? It very limiting to think that if it conflicts with my religious beliefs that you should give it little too no attention as you did. It is very enlightening to know more about other worldviews than your own, be it scientific or from another religions.
Hey Mouth, it’s O.K. Whilst you are creating I’ll keep on evolving. Let’s settle on that.
@mouth of the south
” shared a common ancestor with the great apes”
Third paragraph. This is what happens when we don’t take the time out to read. In case you don’t understand what that means let me explain. Simply put we are not descended directly from apes but rather from some similar species from which they too descended. The expression “humans are descended from apes” is just a way of simplifying the concept.
And way to go just closing off your mind to knowledge. This is what helps corrupt systems to thrive. After all the best form of slavery known to man is mental slavery.
You havent read the article.. yet you commenting? Do you really have a brain between those two ears of yours?
To mouth from the south
You have just exposed your self as to what kind of person you are. When you said that you did not even read past the 2 paragraph and them forming your opinion based on just that, it shows how much you truly want to understand before you comment. Having a belief is easy,it it easier than thinking which you do not seem to do at all.
It also portrays someone with a tunnel vision.