Lecture 11: Reception of the Origin of Species PDF

Lecture 11: Reception of the origin of species. A conflict of Science and religion? Reception of the Origin of species ● MYTH NOT TRUE: Instantly huge controversy between science and religion (False) ● Local newspaper hardly mentions the book. Widely reviewed in educated periodicals ● People’s react...

Lecture 11: Reception of the origin of species. A conflict of Science and religion? Reception of the Origin of species ● MYTH NOT TRUE: Instantly huge controversy between science and religion (False) ● Local newspaper hardly mentions the book. Widely reviewed in educated periodicals ● People’s reactions tended to correlate with their class, religion, education, and ideological tendencies. o People tend to be favourable and consistent to their views. Do not like something inconsistent. ● Major Objections: o God makes species, not nature o We are separate from nature, we are not from other animals ● Not just religious people hate it and scientific people like it, oversimplification. ● Hotly disputed: whether younger people are more open to new ideas. ● A good e.g. Charles Lyell. Public opponents of evolution almost his adult life and now his student published the most important evolution book ● Not just the case only 2 views: God or nature. Some scientific ones are also religious one. Louis Agassiz review 1860 (Geologist) ● "I shall therefore consider the transmutation theory as a scientific mistake, untrue in its facts, unscientific in its method, and mischievous in its tendency.” ● Did not like Darwin 🡪 think that it is a wrong and dangerous theory ● Objections based solely on his religious view. ● It’s wrong and its wicked ● Thought fabric of society would be torn if people believed they were from animals. Samuel Wilberforce review 1860 ● Bishop of Oxford. Wrote a very negative review. ● Implications of Darwin theory on the origin of man. That the notion is absolutely incompatible not only with single expressions in the word of God (Bible) but with the whole representation of that moral and spiritual condition of man which is its proper subject matter o Humanity should be separated with distinct ● He brought out that Darwin used a lot of expression like ‘I believe’ and ‘I trust’. ● Book reviews are always anonymous. But everybody knows who is writing. ● Richard Owen – praised himself. Thomas Henry Huxley review 1860 ● MYTH NOT TRUE. Called Darwin’s bulldog. Vicious defender of Darwin. ● Did not say Darwin is right. He was convinced only with parts of it. Rather sceptical about Darwin’s idea of natural selection o Fair question for scientific discussion o ● ● ● ● Religious or moral beliefs cannot decide whether a scientific claim is true or not Wrote a review on the most prestigious newspaper in the world – The Times o Newspaper prestigious but also conservative. Huxley too junior to write a review but though network manage to do it. Done it through a journalist. But it was obvious, Huxley wrote it. Reviewed fairly and positively. Said that religious or moral beliefs cannot decide whether a scientific claim is true or not. o The religious objections that were raised was not valid. H.C Watson – Phrenologist and botanist ● State that Darwin’s idea will become recognised as an establish truth in science. ● High praise ● “Your leading idea will assuredly become recognised as an established truth in science, i.e. "Natural selection." It has the characteristics of all great natural truths, clarifying what was obscure, simplifying what was intricate, adding greatly to previous knowledge. You are the greatest revolutionist in natural history of this century, if not of all centuries.” -H.C Watson Origin of species 2nd edition 1860 ● Charles Kingsley, Christian ● Celebrated divine / clergy. ● Wrote that he admired his theory despite being a Christian Combined Darwin’s theory with his own religious belief. ● Darwin wrote in the next edition, showing that a priest supported his theory. ● “A celebrated author and diving has written to me that ‘he has gradually learn to see that it is just as noble a conception of the Deity to believe that He created a few original forms capable of self-development into other and needful forms, as to believe that He required a fresh act of creation to supply the voids caused by the action of His laws.’” o God has made the laws of nature and one of the consequences is that things go extinct from time to time. These are the voids in the natural world. ▪ Things keep going extinct so maybe god came out with laws of nature to help with it o He said that God is so smart that he came out with the idea of evolution so that he does not have to come down to make new species by himself. ● A more noble view of God. ● Voids – things that go extinct Fleeming Jenkin’s book review (1867) ● Most powerful negative review 🡪 evolution would not work ● Scottish Engineer. ● Imaginary story that Jenkin told (very racist): if you have an island full of black people, and there is a young white person. If you come back a few years later, the white person would have blended well with the black people. 🡪 blended theory ● His point: blending inheritance argument ● Counter: 6 fingered person (hexadactyly) marry 5 fingered. offspring? Cannot be 5.5 finger but either 5 or 6. ● Variation is everywhere spontaneous variations are constantly appearing, not a one-off thing ● DNA cannot be explained Oxford University Museum, 1860 ● Main event of the reception of Darwin’s theory. ● The meeting of British association for advancement of science ● Winner of the debate – Joseph hook (he thought he was) Thomas Henry Huxley vs. Bishop Samuel Wilberforce 1860 ● People always cannot resist depicting it as religion vs science conflict. ● What really happened? o Meeting that is public. Not parliament kind. People give talks and there are people watching. Not as serious as conference. ● An American professor had just been droning on about how Darwin’s theory was relevant to the European History. Wilberforce spoke after the American professor and it seems like Wilberforce was just making jokes to lighten the atmosphere up. ● Whether it was through his grandfather or grandmother that descended from a monkey ● Huxley was always referred to as the victor of this debate. He refuted Wilberforce and said he would rather be a descendent of an ape than a man who harms others. (a person like Wilberforce) ● Movement within the Anglican church. There are liberal reforms. ● Liberal Anglican clergy’s wrote more controversial stuff and liberal stuff (he converted to Christianity) ● Fitzroy present at meeting o Carried the bible New evidence is found… useful for Darwin ● Henry Walter Bates ● The one who went with Wallace to SA. ● Only in 1859, he returned home. ● His only book. Published 1863. ● An ant on the cover, other side is mockingbirds 1861-3 Henry Walter Bates – mimicry 🡪 DRAMATIC SUPPORT FOR DARWIN ● He developed a new theory – Mimicry ● Now called Batesian Mimicry. ● Butterflies that look very similar but absolutely not related. ● These butterflies taste disgusting; birds don’t want eat them. And there are colourful ● Colorizations tell others do not eat them. ● Birds not eating those that look like nasty tasting ones ● He found butterflies that were completely different species but looks like these nasty tasting butterflies. ● The way to explain how these unrelated become identical. Those who look nasty tend to survive more. ● Overtime, natural selection, the butterflies look more and more like the nasty looking butterflies. They only occur within the same area and not anywhere else. (poisonous and non-poisonous found same place) 1860 – the first fossil feather ● Oldest fossil feather ● Fossil records – Darwin’s big problem ● Fossil records shows ‘chunkier’ rather progress change as Darwin suggested ● Darwin’s reason: it is just a fragment of whole. ● Birds – most isolated ● This fossil feather found in rocks that are far older than birds. How do these bird feathers get into ancient rock? Archaeopteryx 1861-1863 (transitional fossil) ● The most famous fossil ● Unlike any bird in the world ● Features of both reptiles and birds. ● Long bony tail just like a reptile, teeth in their jaw, feathers (only birds have feathers) ● Possibly where the feather comes from. ● Each toe had a claw, and claw on wings to stabilise while perching. o Like the young of one bird ● Dinosaurs are not extinct. One family of dinosaurs still exist. Birds are dinosaurs. ● The legs of chickens and all birds have scales. Lay eggs ● Feathers and scales are made of same substance. ● Exactly what Darwin predicted. Fossils will be found that will fill the gap between the groups that we know. A dramatic example. Connecting birds with reptiles. ● Bipedal. Dinosaurs walked on 2 legs. Not all what you see in movies are dinosaurs. Dinosaur is only 1 family. Those walk with 4 legs are not dinosaurs. ● All birds are bipedal. ● Feathered dinosaurs are very common. Feathers are for insulation not flight. ● Feathers are modified scales Asa Gray ● Darwin’s good friend. American botanist. ● Prof at Harvard University ● Supportive of Darwin but like Huxley and Lyell don’t completely agree ● He doesn’t like natural selection. He was more religious man ● Want some room in the theory for divine intervention. Gray said variations happen because of God ● Darwin denied this. God will not work that way. God would not create millions of different things just for them to be killed off. o Darwin says that variations occur and are filtered through natural selection ● Gray’s version helpful for religious people. ● Accepted Darwin’s theory in line with his religion. For most people, encountering Darwin did not put religion as stake so that’s why his book is immensely successful 🡪 allows room for religious interpretations Paul Du Chaillu, Explorations and adventures in Africa (1861) ● Skins and skeletons of Gorillas became widely known during the time of darwin’s book ● Victorian times they were unknown. None seen alive in Europe. Very recently discovered. ● They knew about orang utans. Animals that look more human looking are more interesting. ● Paul Du Chaillu – American, publicised this book o Implications that human beings are descended from other species ● A lot of the stories told too good to be true. o Women married Gorilla and died at childbirth, child was hairy 🡪 stuff body into hair to carry on legacy ● This picture, plagiarised. ● Some problems with his stories. Richard Owen, the greatest anatomist in the world, examined the skeletons (by looking at the pelvis), these animals don’t walk on 2 legs. ● Possibly Paul did not meet any, just bought the skeletons. o He did bring back gorillas skeleton. Caused a huge sensation. Just as the debate was at its peak/height. ● Idea of Gorilla being the uncivilised version of human. o Overwhelmingly similar to us o Became a scary animal to people 🡪 King Kong ● Gorillas are herbivores and gentle animals. (truth) only dangerous if family is threatened. 🡪 found out 100 years later, only then image went away ● People don’t like being related to these animals, want a separate category and he said he can do that if its by categorising of characteristics Richard Owen 1857… ● Wants to preserve human uniqueness o Separate humans into their own category (though got no structure to show that humans are different from animals) ● Published papers arguing Human beings are anatomically different from animals. Humans have an additional structure in the brain. ● From biology alone can separate humans from everything else in animal kingdom. ● Did that by dissections of the brain. ● Anonymously criticised Darwin’s work, jealous even though they were good friends o Praised his own book ^Taxonomy diagram showing groups related. ● 4 sub-classes from Mammals (Mammalia). ● Most people would classify man as primates (quadrumana – 4 hands) ● Richard Owen – Humans have two hands so we cannot be classified under quadeumana. o Put in his own categories o He say no evolution etc ● Note: these diagrams exists before darwin Richard Owen The Great Hippocampus Question ● This caused huge uproar. ● Huxley attacked Owen. ● Huxley said the brain structure is present in monkeys. ● Owen said is not present in other things except in human. The great hippopotamus test ● Kingsley wrote Water Babies. Popular children book. ● He mentioned the great hippopotamus test. (animal not the above**) ● Kingsley supported Darwin’s theory, included Darwin’s theory into his book Charles Lyell's Geological evidences of the antiquity of man (1863) 🡪 how long human beings been on earth ● Do not know how long yet due to no geological records ● For Lyell, his most radical book ever. ● Darwin deeply disappointed. Friend and old mentor Lyell did not come to his side, find it difficult to accept Darwin’s theory ● ● ● ● o Uncomfortable that humans descended from animals Lyell made it as though the issue still open ended. He spent his whole life arguing against evolution. Mentioned that humans are a proper subject of scientific study (separate from nature) Surveyed discoveries of early man, archaeological evidence, in the Paleolithic (Pleistocene) (Paleolithic, stone hand axe) Privately, he would agree with Darwin. But not in print. T. H. Huxley’s Man’s place in nature (1863) 🡪 for darwin ● Huxley book – more radical ● First book on human evolution ● He is showing how similar the skeletons are among the primates. He stretched them all to make them all about the same height. ● Despite the proportion, the skeletons are astonishingly similar. ● Monkeys (Chimpanzees and gorrillas) are more similar to humans than to dogs. o Human being are animals o Theory is we are similar to apes BUT we don’t come from apes (human) **DARWIN ● Humans are not that an isolated group as we thought. ● Goes against the view that humans are totally isolated. ● Compared brain, pelvis, hand, feet bone structure of humans to primates. Neanderthal (Neander valley of Germany) ● No human fossils were ever found. ● Very human-like skull. But not exactly same like human. Different shape of head and face. o Skull robust (got mixture of features from human and apes) ● But different species of what? Primates? Human? The gradual evolution of the horse (1870s) 🡪 for darwin ● A series of horse fossils found in America how a modern horse has evolved from the size of a dog. ● An obvious series of fossils show gradual change. o Legs changed 🡪 got bigger, more specialised for running ● Evidence of how fossil is complete enough to show change By 1869, ten years after Origin of species was published, things had changed ● 1 thing undeniable – Opinion of naturalists have changed. ● Reflected in the way Darwin spoke in the different editions of his book, 3rd edition in 1861 to 5th edition in 1869 ● Origin of species, 3rd edition, 1861. o “The great majority of naturalists believe that species are immutable productions and have been separately created.” ● Origin of species, 5th edition, 1869. o “Until recently the great majority of naturalists believed that species were immutable productions and had been separately created.” ● ^CONTEXT CHANGED, people changed opinions ● The scientific debate of whether evolution happen or not ended in 1870. Accepted as a scientific fact. Has not been controversial in the scientific community. o Common descent with modification.. BUT…not natural selection ● Natural selection – seemed too random, or do not allow divine intervention, not as widely accepted. o Some say natural selection is just Victorian social values applied to nature (competition), not true. (competition etc, put social causes) 🡪 economical etc o But if natural selection reflects social values, why is it not really accepted at that time The popular science writer Grant Allen wrote in The Academy (1882): ● By the time Darwin died in 1882. Most famous and respected ● What is written on his obituaries gave Darwin high praise, reverence. ● “In 1859, the Origin of Species at last appeared, under what circumstances all the world knows. It was nothing less than a revolution… the influence of his thought upon the thought of the age has far outweighed any influence ever before exerted by a single man during his own lifetime. He has revolutionised, not biology alone, but all science; not science alone, but all philosophy; not philosophy alone, but human life. Man, his origin and nature, his future hopes and realisable ideals, all seem something different to the present generation from their seeming to the generations that lie behind us in the field of time.” Wallace, Darwinism (1889) ● Darwin worked on his theory for so many years. He has moved far beyond the scientific community of his day. ● Darwin realised his theory as a young man and worked on it for the next 20 years. By the time he published, his arguments become convincing.