Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882)

i-6027d934a5683d3cc99219d9aa301f6c-darwinold.jpg As most readers are no doubt aware, Charles Robert Darwin, the discover of descent with modification by means of natural selection, was born on this day in 1809. It is probably safe to say that the science blogosphere will be jam packed with posts in Darwin and his ideas and meatspace will be hosting various "Darwin Day" activities.

For my part, I will be introducing Darwin's ideas to my Origins, Evolution & Creation class this afternoon before we sit down to watch the PBS documentary "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" from the 2001 Evolution mini-series.

Rather than waxing poetically about Darwin, here's one of my favorite Darwin quotes:

"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science." (Descent of Man)

More like this

Michael Behe's reputation is spiraling down the drain a little more. He denies the ongoing research on his favorite scientific examples, the flagellum and the immune system, and I think Les Lane has the right idea—his favorite icon, Mt Rushmore, needs a little more undermining, too. That first…
Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science. - Charles R. Darwin Support The Beagle Project Read the Beagle Project Blog Buy the Beagle…
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science." -Charles Darwin There are problems with science today, no doubt. With all the knowledge we…
From his instance that human evolution has halted to his rather crummy review of Stephen Jay Gould: Reflections on His View of Life (see my thoughts on the book here), Steve Jones has been raising the hackles of his colleagues more than usual lately. Given that I am not a scientist I cannot count…