Comments

1. #1 Stacy

   February 13, 2009

   I heard somewhere that the new argument against evolution from creationists will be that Darwin was terribly offended by slavery so therefore evolution must not be true – his opinions were tainted.

   So my guess is -Darwin??!!

2. #2 Greg Laden

   February 13, 2009

   Stacy… Seriously????? Really?????? Where did you hear that, I’d love to see (and whip-ass blog) that particular bit of drek!

3. #3 Claude Rallins

   February 13, 2009

   The embodyment of Obama; the man, the mind… in itself, is a great testament to the evolution of species.

   The speech itself, a powerful illustration of the ‘Ascent of Man’ in the Oval office [bush-man to mountain-top man].

   Thanks for posting.

4. #4 Stacy

   February 13, 2009

   I’ll go try and find it for you Greg. I’m pretty sure it came from one of two places – either the FCS blog or an e mail that was sent out on the mailing list.
   If it’s the latter, I may not have saved it.

5. #5 Mike Haubrich, FCD

   February 13, 2009

   So, until the new book Darwin’s Sacred Cause came out, he was a racist and invented evolution to justify slavery. Then the book came out and he invented evolution because he hated slavery. If you are keeping score:

   Darwinism = Slavery
   Darwinism = Anti-Slavery

   It’s all good, right?

6. #6 Stacy

   February 13, 2009

   Greg – Here is an e mail I received. (Mike it mentions the same book):

   “I haven’t seen any creationist employ such a tactic recently, but with the
   publication of Desmond and Moore’s Darwin’s Sacred Cause, it may
   emerge. Desmond and Moore are respected historians of science, and the
   central argument of their book — that the anti-slavery beliefs in his
   family motivated and inspired Darwin’s view of common descent in general
   and of the common ancestry of humans in particular — is advanced and
   defended in a scholarly responsible way. But by emphasizing
   extrascientific influences on Darwin’s scientific work, they may open the
   door to the creationists to argue that the scientific work is
   corrupted. For information about the book, see:
   http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781846140358,00.html

7. #7 Ana

   February 13, 2009

   Greg – Desmond is the author of the article I posted on my facebook (and asked you to read) on Darwin’s abolitionist roots. It’s a kind-of summary of the book. Here’s the link for those of you who are not yet my ‘friends’.
   http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=10581

8. #8 Greg Laden

   February 13, 2009

   Ah. I had not made the connection.