Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution

Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution

"Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution" is a 1973 essay by the evolutionary biologist and Russian Orthodox Christian Theodosius Dobzhansky, criticising anti-evolution creationism and espousing theistic evolution. The essay was first published in the American Biology Teacher, volume 35, pages 125-129.

Dobzhansky first published the title statement, in a slight variation, in a 1964 article in American Zoologist, "Biology, Molecular and Organismic", to assert the importance of organismic biology in response to the challenge of the rising field of molecular biology.[1] The term "light of evolution"—or sub specie evolutionis—had been used earlier by biologist Julian Huxley.

Contents

Overview

Dobzhansky starts with a reductio ad absurdum of the alleged geocentrism of an Arab cleric (identical to or namesake of Shaikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz, later the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia) who believes the Sun revolves around the Earth because of scripture. Dobzhansky asserts his own belief that scripture and science do not contradict each other. He criticizes creationists for implying that God is deceitful and asserts that this is blasphemous.

Dobzhansky then goes on to describe the diversity of life on Earth, and that the diversity of species cannot be best explained by a creation myth because of the ecological interactions between them. He uses examples of evidence for evolution: the genetic sequence of cytochrome C to show evidence for common descent (citing the work of Emanuel Margoliash & Walter M. Fitch); embryology; and his own work on fruit flies in Hawaii. Dobzhansky concludes that scripture and science are two different things: "It is a blunder to mistake the Holy Scriptures for elementary textbooks of astronomy, geology, biology, and anthropology".

The central issue

The central issue of the essay is the need to teach biological evolution in the context of debate about creation and evolution in public education in the United States.[2] The fact that evolution occurs explains the interrelatedness of the various facts of biology, and so makes biology make sense.[3] The concept has become firmly established as a unifying idea in biology education.[4]

The phrase

The notion of the "light of evolution" came originally from the Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, whom Dobzhansky much admired. In the last paragraph of the article, de Chardin is quoted as having written the following:

(Evolution) general condition to which all theories, all hypotheses, all systems must bow and which they must satisfy henceforward if they are to be thinkable and true. Evolution is a light which illuminates all facts, a curve that all lines must follow." p.219 of Phenomenon of Man

The phrase "nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution" has come into common use by those opposing creationism or its variant called intelligent design.[2][5] While the essay argues that Christianity and evolutionary biology are compatible, a position described as evolutionary creationism or theistic evolution, the phrase is also used by those who consider that "in biology" includes anthropology, and those who consider a creator to be unnecessary, such as Richard Dawkins who published The Selfish Gene just three years later.

Quotations

I am a creationist and an evolutionist. Evolution is God's, or Nature's method of creation. Creation is not an event that happened in 4004 BC; it is a process that began some 10 billion years ago and is still under way.

Theodosius Dobzhansky, "Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution" (1973)

Does the evolutionary doctrine clash with religious faith? It does not. It is a blunder to mistake the Holy Scriptures for elementary textbooks of astronomy, geology, biology, and anthropology. Only if symbols are construed to mean what they are not intended to mean can there arise imaginary, insoluble conflicts. ...the blunder leads to blasphemy: the Creator is accused of systematic deceitfulness.

Theodosius Dobzhansky, "Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution" (1973)

References

  1. ^ Theodosius Dobzhansky, "Biology, Molecular and Organismic", American Zoologist, volume 4 (1964), pp 443-452. The phrase appears on page 449 as "nothing makes sense in biology except in the light of evolution, sub specie evolutionis."
  2. ^ a b "NCSE Resource". Cans and Can`ts of Teaching Evolution. National Center for Science Education. February 13, 2001. http://ncse.com/evolution/education/cans-cants-teaching-evolution. Retrieved 2007-12-13. 
  3. ^ Eugenie C. Scott (November 8, 1997). "BioForum 11/9/97: Scott: EVOLUTION AND BIOLOGY". Access Excellence at the National Health Museum. http://www.accessexcellence.org/BF/bf02/scott/bf02a02.html. Retrieved 2007-12-13. 
  4. ^ David L. Haury (1996). "CSMEE Digest 96-4". Teaching Evolution in School Science Classes. The Educational Resources Information Center. Archived from the original on 2007-09-23. http://web.archive.org/web/20070923045028/http://www.ericse.org/digests/dse96-4.html. Retrieved 2007-12-13. 
  5. ^ Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School DistrictContext: 1. An Objective Observer Would Know that ID and Teaching About “Gaps” and “Problems” in Evolutionary Theory are Creationist, Religious Strategies that Evolved from Earlier Forms of Creationism

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Evolution as theory and fact — Evolution is both theory and fact. This statement, or something similar, is frequently seen in biological literature. cite web | url = http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/evolution fact.html | title = Evolution is a Fact and a Theory | first =… …   Wikipedia

  • evolution — evolutional, adj. evolutionally, adv. /ev euh looh sheuhn/ or, esp. Brit., /ee veuh /, n. 1. any process of formation or growth; development: the evolution of a language; the evolution of the airplane. 2. a product of such development; something… …   Universalium

  • Evolution — This article is about evolution in biology. For other uses, see Evolution (disambiguation). For a generally accessible and less technical introduction to the topic, see Introduction to evolution. Part of a series on …   Wikipedia

  • Evolution as fact and theory — Part of a series on Evolutionary Biology …   Wikipedia

  • Creation-evolution controversy — The creation evolution controversy (also termed the creation vs. evolution debate or the origins debate) is a recurring political dispute about the origins of the Earth, humanity, life, and the universe, [See harvnb|Hovind|2006, for example.]… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the creation-evolution controversy — The creation evolution controversy has a long history, beginning with challenges made by various naturalists to biblical accounts of creation. In response to theories developed by scientists, some religious persons and organizations, questioned… …   Wikipedia

  • Kansas evolution hearings — The Kansas Evolution Hearings were a series of hearings held in Topeka, Kansas May 5 to May 12, 2005 by the Republican dominated [The Board of Education had a 6 to 4 conservative Republican majority. All six of those who voted for the standards… …   Wikipedia

  • History of molecular evolution — The history of molecular evolution starts in the early 20th century with comparative biochemistry , but the field of molecular evolution came into its own in the 1960s and 1970s, following the rise of molecular biology. The advent of protein… …   Wikipedia

  • Theistic evolution — or evolutionary creation is a concept that asserts that classical religious teachings about God are compatible with the modern scientific understanding about biological evolution. In short, theistic evolutionists believe that there is a God, that …   Wikipedia

  • Creation–evolution controversy — A satirical cartoon from 1882, parodying Darwin s theory of evolution, in response to the publication of The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms. The creation–evolution controversy (also termed the creation vs. evolution… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”