Charles Darwin Revisited
This week there is a timely article in Newsweek Magazine about Charles Darwin the man.
The article begins with these words:
"He had planned to enter the ministry, but his discoveries on a fateful voyage 170 years ago shook his faith and changed our conception of the origins of life."
That emphasizes a very important point: Darwin was lead to propose his theories based on observation. He was so troubled by the direction in which these observations were leading him, that it would be 25 years before he published his observations and theories.
Now we are seeing another round of attacks on the notions of evolutionary theory. Critics use the term "Darwinism," yet no scientist that I know ever would. Yes, he was ONE of the people who first came up with the theory, but the theories have been refined and tested for over one hundred years. The Oxford biologist Richard Dawkins, a passionate defender of evolutionary theory and an outspoken atheist, once said that evolution "made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist."
While it is absolutely true that we can conceptualize a mechanism for the development of species, does it also mean that the theory necessarily exclude the existence of a Higher Power? No, of course not. Current scientific models have been developed to examine the physical world. When scientists have strayed into areas in which they have no special expertise, they can easily run into trouble. And they simply do not have models or methodologies for examining questions of purpose and meaning.
A complete model needs us to honor and respect all of the realms and domains of existence. Evolution OR intelligent design is a false dichotomy. Cannot the answer be evolution AND intelligence?
Technorati tag: More blogs about Charles Darwin.
Dr. Richard G. Petty, MD is a world-renowned authority on the brain, and his revolutionary work on human energy systems has been acclaimed around the globe.
He is also an accredited specialist in internal and metabolic medicine, endocrinology, psychiatry, acupuncture and homeopathy. He has been an innovator and leader of the human potential movement for over thirty years and is also an active researcher, teacher, writer, professional speaker and broadcaster. He is the author of five books, including the groundbreaking and best selling CD series Healing, Meaning and Purpose. He has taught in over 45 countries and 48 states in the last ten years, but spends as much time as possible on his horse farm in Georgia.
