Comments on: Happy Darwin Day

By: Francis

Francis — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:17:59 +0000

I think what I love about Darwin is the bravery, that evolution ruffled so many feathers and continues to do so even today. That he waited 20+ years to “get it right”, that his wife was religious and yet he went ahead with “Origin” in any case. That he struggled with the ideas on a personal level. I think that takes guts, especially in the 1800s.

http://francisshanahan.com/www/index.php/2009/happy-birthday-darwin/

By: Claire C Smith

Claire C Smith — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 01:51:08 +0000

I didn’t think my comment was ‘that’ off topic!

Claire

By: Zed

Zed — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:56:10 +0000

@Low Math, Meekly Interacting Says:
“I sometimes wonder why evolution scares folks more than quantum mechanics. In a classical universe, even if there’s evolution, it can still, in principle, unfold according to a set plan. In a quantum universe, that there can even be a plan is unclear. What’s more heretical, that destiny was set for us further in the past, or that there is none?”

Interesting comment there linking QM and evolution. Interesting because quantum effects on the small scale probably effect the accuracy of DNA replication enzymes responsible for some of the raw material for natural selection (mutation). Now, how to measure such an effect?

Go Darwin!

By: Arun

Arun — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:20:17 +0000

This day was Naturally Selected!

By: Michael T.

Michael T. — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 02:02:03 +0000

*cool pic*

By: Martin E.

Martin E. — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 22:33:39 +0000

“If the evidence had indicated that we were designed as part of some Great Plan, the scientifically respectable thing to do would have been to accept that and try to understand it as well as we could”
Great statement! This attitude is one of the steps on my expansion of Dawkins’ “degrees of (un-)religion” scale. It’s the “Jack Sparrow” approach [up to you to realize why],or, to give it a proper name, “scitheism”.

By: Benjamin

Benjamin — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 21:47:57 +0000

Darwin Day was alive and in full cheer here at Harvard!

By: Eugenie

Eugenie — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 16:11:44 +0000

But wheres all the madlove for number one son Leonard Darwin, cousin Galton and America’s own Charles Davenport?
http://timpanogos.wordpress.com/2008/01/30/maybe-its-a-virus/
http://echidneofthesnakes.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html#6051001262780259118
http://www.echidneofthesnakes.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/04/bioethicist_art_caplan_understands.php [ N.B. scroll down to Colugo's comments-note the paucity of the response]
Still all things considered it’s great to see you reading Nietzsche..read enough of him & you too will break down in appalled laughter when you read the words “Ethical Naturalism”

By: chemicalscum

chemicalscum — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:56:31 +0000

Low Math said:
“I sometimes wonder why evolution scares folks more than quantum mechanics. In a classical universe, even if there’s evolution, it can still, in principle, unfold according to a set plan. In a quantum universe, that there can even be a plan is unclear.”

The reason is they don’t understand QM (come on who does? I know chemistry PhD’s who run away screaming when you try and talk about its relevance to their research) so they don’t think about it, but they think they understand what the Theory of Evolution is when they don’t.

By: Contains Caffeine » Darwin Day Roundup

Contains Caffeine » Darwin Day Roundup — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:22:02 +0000

[...] Why Darwin Matters [...]