Am I a Monkey?: Six Big Questions about Evolution

INTRODUCTION

Introduction Darwin completed the scientific revolution by extending to the living world the notion that the workings of the universe can be explained through natural laws. He provided compelling evidence of the evolution of organisms. More important yet is that Darwin discovered natural selection, the process that explains the “design” of organisms. The adaptations and diversity of living beings, the origin of novel and complex species , even the origin of humankind could now be explained by an orderly process of change governed by natural laws. The scientific revolution that took place in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries ushered in a conception of the universe as matter in motion governed by natural laws. The discoveries of Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, and other scientists brought about a fundamental revolution, namely, a commitment to the postulate that the universe obeys immanent laws that can account for natural phenomena. But the diversity and adaptations of living beings had been left out of science. The functional design of organisms seemed to call for a Designer, who would account for animals’ having eyes to see, wings to fly, and fins to swim and plants’ having chlorophyll for photosynthesis. Humankind’s conception of the universe had become double edged. Scientific explanations derived from natural laws dominated the world of nonliving matter xii AB Introduction on Earth as well as in the heavens. Supernatural explanations, which depended on the unfathomable deeds of a Creator or other preternatural agencies, accounted for the origin and configuration of the living creatures—the most diversified, complex, and interesting realities in the world. It was Darwin’s genius to resolve this conceptual dichotomy . Darwin’s discovery of natural selection completed the scientific revolution by drawing out for biology the notion of nature as a lawful system of matter in motion that human reason can explain without recourse to supernatural agencies. Natural selection is one of the greatest ideas anyone has ever had, and Darwin is one of the most influential scientists of all time. The theory of biological evolution is the central organizing concept of modern biology. Evolution scientifically explains why there are so many different kinds of organisms, and it accounts for their similarities and differences. It accounts for the appearance of humans on Earth and reveals humans’ biological connections with other living beings. It provides an understanding of constantly evolving bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens and enables the development of effective ways to protect ourselves against the diseases they cause. Knowledge of evolution has made possible advances in agriculture , medicine, and biotechnology. Thetheoryofevolutionisperceivedbymanypeople,particularly but not only in the United States, as controversial. This perception is surprising to me, a geneticist and evolutionist who has dedicated his life to studying the evidence and the processes that account for evolution. It is beyond reasonable doubt that organisms, including humans, have evolved from Introduction AB xiii ancestors that were very different from them. The evolution of organisms is accepted by scientists with the same degree of confidence as they accept other well-confirmed scientific theories, such as the revolution of the earth around the sun, the expansion of galaxies, the atomic theory, or the genetic theory of biological inheritance. Am I a Monkey? Six Big Questions about Evolution seeks to explain some central tenets of the theory of evolution by answering questions that arise in the minds of people who are only vaguely familiar with the notion of evolution. Two points need to be made at the outset. The first is that science is a wondrously successful way of knowing the world, but it is not the only way. Knowledge also derives from other sources, such as common-sense experience, imaginative literature, music and artistic experience, philosophical reflection, and, for people of faith, religion and revelation. The second point, to which I dedicate only the last chapter of the book, is related to the first. Science and religion need not be in contradiction. Indeed, if they are properly understood, they cannot be in contradiction because they concern different matters. Successful as it is, and universally encompassing as its subject is, a scientific view of the world is hopelessly incomplete . Matters of value and meaning are outside science’s scope. In order to understand the purpose and meaning of life, as well as matters concerning moral and religious values, we need to look elsewhere. For many people these questions are very important, even more important than science per se. This page intentionally left...