February 12 is Charles Darwin's birthday. Celebrating 197 years of celebration culture around the world, culminating in Shrewsbury, UK in 2009
Avi Blizovsky, part of the article is translated with permission from the Darwin Day website
Thanks to the "intelligent design" movement, the defenders of Charles Darwin's theory about natural selection come out and organize hundreds of events around the world. Darwin's 197th birthday is an opportunity to recognize Darwin's important work.
"Those who believe in evolution must stand up and start counting them," says Richard Leventhal, director of the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, to the AP news agencies. "Evolution is the model that drives science. It's time to acknowledge this." said.
Darwin, born in England on February 12, 1809 and died in 1882. At the age of 50, he published "The Origin of Species". His conclusion was that the creatures evolved over time, which he arrived at as part of a series of zoological and geological discoveries that he made during a trip around the world that lasted five years.
The intelligent design movement seeks to discredit his conclusions on the grounds that the creatures are too complex to be created naturally and intervention by a certain type of intelligent creature was required. The critics of this theory say that it is a religious creationism disguised under an apparent scientific discourse.
Proponents of intelligent design have suffered losses in several lawsuits in Pennsylvania and Georgia, but in Kansas, curriculum officials have endorsed a view that the theory of evolution is flawed.
Celebrations are an important element in any culture. They provide a tradition and glue that will bind all those who feel they belong to the culture, and will allow them to experience a meaningful connection to each other and to the principle they subscribe to. Unfortunately, most celebrations are based on ancient traditions that are only relevant to a certain country or culture, and they often continue to be a source of difficult conflicts.
At this point in history, the world has become so small and all countries are interdependent that we need a worldwide celebration to promote the bond between all human beings.
Darwin Day celebrations were founded on the promise that science, like music, is an international language that speaks to all humans in similar ways. While music is both intellectual and entertaining, science is one of the most reliable systems of knowledge, and it was and continues to be acquired thanks to curiosity and ingenuity.
Moreover, evolution through genetic diversity and natural selection as introduced by Darwin became the central organizing principle in biology. In addition, evolution plays a central role in astronomy and cosmology, where it refers to the way stars, galaxies, and the entire universe change over time. To study biology while ignoring evolution would be like studying physics without Newton's laws governing the universe or chemistry without the periodic table. Clearly, Darwin himself has become an international celebrity who has become famous, and whose influence on the development of modern thought continues to be profound and pervasive (Ernest Meyer, Darwin's Influence on Modern Thought, Scientific American, July 2000).
Current research in the field of genetics, including the deciphering of the human genome, has convincingly shown that all humans are almost identical at the gene level and that we are all genetic relatives of other living creatures on Earth. Therefore, this enlightening view of genetics is only one that points to uniformity and equality among all human beings, but also one that encourages the deep meaning of honoring and valuing all life. Today the validity of Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection is aided by our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of genetics. Therefore, we conclude that Charles Darwin is a worthy symbol to focus on to build an international celebration of science and humanity designed to promote the common bond between all humans on Earth.
"Darwin Day" website
Darwin Day - 2004 on the knowledge site
Note. The knowledge site wishes to help organize similar events in Israel in the coming years. Israeli entities wishing to participate and organize a joint event are invited to contact us
By email to the editor of the site, Avi Blizovsky
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to wit:
Amusing that you call yourself "intelligence", because you don't seem to use it. You speak out of ignorance, and also claim that Darwin is the symbol of ignorance. I see from your words that you know nothing and a half about Darwin or the theory of evolution.
If 100 years ago you would have talked about genetic cloning, they would have treated it as "science fiction" - because they would not have understood it. Exactly the same reason you happen to "science fiction" evolution - you don't understand it. I imagine you never tried either, otherwise you wouldn't write the things you wrote.
I do not accept the theory of evolution and cherish Darwin because I was brought up to do so. I grew up and still live in a religious home where they didn't talk about Darwin, although I did hear about him and his idea at home and at school. Today I accept the theory of evolution and cherish Darwin. The reason is simple - I studied the material. It turns out that the amount of material is huge, and many things look different after studying it. (Of course the material I touched is barely the tip of the iceberg).
Today it bothers me when I talk to people whose opinions are the same as yours (there are no shortage of them). In fact, these opinions were also my opinions, before I realized that it was necessary to study the material. (Although when studying the material you need to approach it with an unbiased eye). The reason it bothers me is not only the ignorance and ignorance I have to hear, but every time I feel that "here it goes again", one more time I have to go back to the beginning and explain everything. It would be fine if it was one or two, but there are many more. It is not fair that those who took responsibility, invested and put in the effort and still do should feel as if they are the ones who have to give explanations. Today, I don't get into the topic of evolution too much in debates, if it comes up, I say: "I can give you a very superficial explanation if you want, I don't think it will satisfy you. If you really want to understand, read books on the subject." Usually I get a kind of distorted face that says - "No thanks, I don't have the strength".
I say to you and others: if it's not in your head to read, if you don't have the strength - then leave us alone! You have no right to speak! I took books, I studied, I was interested, and I don't think it's my job and certainly not fair, that I have to provide explanations to those who just want to argue but aren't willing to invest a minute to learn. If you have studied the material and still want to argue - at least we will have a common basis, on which we can level our claims, but according to what you wrote, this is not the case.
PS - What you said about the Holocaust shows how much you don't know Darwin and his work. Social Darwinism is a distortion of Darwin's ideas. To claim such harsh things about a person who meant no harm, is not such a noble act.
It is appropriate to prefix your nickname with "if only I had"
Darwin is a symbol of ignorance and more suitable for the science fiction genre
Because of people like him the holocaust started who adopted his sick ideas of race theory and then the madman tried to make natural selection independently