The theory of evolution by natural selection wasn’t love at first sight. Both Darwin’s theory and his personal opinions took a long, difficult road to reach us.
Charles Darwin
Screwing with Darwin
Reading Time: 14 minutes Charles Darwin wrote a terrific book. Loved it the first time I read it, then read it twice more. And the more I read it, the more I liked it. Just super. Not everyone feels the same about this book. Some were so disturbed by what he wrote that they cut whole passages out before […]
Darwin – friends and foes
Reading Time: 5 minutes When, in 1996 Pope John Paul II – now prancing around Heaven as a saint – said that “fresh knowledge leads to the recognition of the theory of evolution as more than just a hypothesis”, Amanda Chesworth, head of an anti-creationist Darwin Day group, pointed out in The Guardian that “at the time, newspapers in […]
Darwin Day: Can Capitalism Be Domesticated?
Reading Time: 4 minutes This is a guest post from Dr Joe Berger, science educator who wrote the book Science and Spirituality: An Introduction for Students, Secular People & the Generally Curious [UK]. Please grab a copy to help out. Since it was Darwin’s birthday this last Friday, Joe thought he would add something relevant. Here it is (and a big thanks […]
Darwin’s Apostles
Reading Time: 2 minutes Humanist Press have recently published Darwin’s Apostles: The Men Who Fought to Have Evolution Accepted, Their Times, and How the Battle Continues, by David Orenstein and Abby Hafer. The description of the book is as follows: When Darwin finally published The Origin of Species in 1859, there was no guarantee that the grand theory of natural selection would […]
Humanists Cheer Darwin Day Resolutions Introduced in the 116th Congress
Reading Time: 2 minutes This is from the American Humanist Association: American Humanist Association (AHA) leaders applaud the introduction of House Resolution 123 and Senate Resolution 63, also known as the Darwin Day Resolutions. Introduced by Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the resolutions commemorate the birthday of famed biologist Charles Darwin, February 12, as a national celebration […]
Paley’s Watchmaker and Arguing with Creationists
Reading Time: 15 minutes Last night, I did something I promised I wouldn’t do again. I stayed up until past 2 o’clock in the morning arguing with creationists on Facebook. Originally, I just thought they were normal theists. I don’t know how I “know” him, but this one particular theist posted a status on Facebook that went like this: […]
The Google Doodle: Surprisingly, Ken Ham Was Right About Something.
Reading Time: 7 minutes If you’re seeing this blog post a bit late, here’s the writeup about the wide-release November 24th doodle from the folks at Google themselves. You see, November 24’s doodle celebrates the 41st anniversary of the discovery of that world-famous Australopithecus afarensis skeleton quickly nicknamed “Lucy.”
Who Cares About Charles Darwin?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Charles Darwin was a giant force within biology, but I don’t care what he wrote. Creationists, by contrast, care a lot. They apparently imagine that, if they can quote him out of context, they can cast doubt on the validity of evolution.
What We Can Learn About Atheists from Atheist-Whisperer Bo Wagner.
Reading Time: 14 minutes Last time we talked, we covered a “satirical” straw man essay written by a Baptist pastor, Bo Wagner, about a fictional atheist. A pity he doesn’t actually know what satire is, any more than he knows what atheism is. Today we’re going to talk more about what he–and by extension a lot of his peers–think […]