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endless forms most beautiful

… from so simple a beginning. endless forms most beautiful. and most wonderful. have been, and are being, evolved . Charles Darwin. Nature does nothing in leaps Charles Darwin. Natura non facit saltum. “ The theory of evolution is quite compatible with the belief in a God …” Charles Darwin.

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endless forms most beautiful

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  1. … from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved .Charles Darwin

  2. Nature does nothing in leapsCharles Darwin Natura non facit saltum

  3. “The theory of evolution is quite compatible with the belief in a God…”Charles Darwin

  4. Endless Forms Most Beautiful Darwin and Faith

  5. Your Concept of Darwin • When I say “Darwin”, what adjectives come to mind? • During adult ed, the following were shared • Innovative • Misrepresented • Intellectual • Research-intense

  6. Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882 ) • At age 7, Darwin was already a collector and naturalist • His father and grandfather were physicians, and he was expected to be one as well • He attended the University of Edinburgh for medical school • He neglected his medical studies in favor of learning about natural history Photo: Charles Darwin, 1816, Wikipedia

  7. Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882 ) • His father then sent him to Christ’s College, Cambridge as the first step in becoming an Anglican parson • Darwin still followed his love of natural history • He graduated 10th in his class in 1831 • By December 1831 he was on the HMS Beagle Photo: Charles Darwin, c. 1831 Wikipedia

  8. Voyage of the HMS Beagle • A planned 2 year voyage becomes 5 Image: AboutDarwin.com

  9. Separation of Faith and Science • NOT Darwin’s doing • Began in the Age of Enlightenment (1650-1789) • Aspired toward more freedom for common people • These principles were a revolutionary departure from theocracy, oligarchy, aristocracy, and the divine right of kings • An era of rational discourse and personal judgment • The scientific method comes into wide spread use • Faith was not rational, therefore could not be part of science, which was highly rational • The church responded with what today is called creationism • This was before Darwin and set the stage for his work

  10. Beagle Diary (1831-1836) • What would you expect Darwin’s faith to be like? • “The mind is a chaos of delight…” • “…temples filled with the varied productions of the God of Nature: — No one can stand unmoved in these solitudes, without feeling that there is more in man than the mere breath of his body.” • Is this what you expected?

  11. Transmutation Notebooks B-E • Written after the Beagle voyage • Scientific thoughts about evolution and eventually natural selection • Why choose a tree to represent evolution? “To do this & to have many species in same genus. REQUIRES extinction.“

  12. Transmutation Notebook B • “The Creator has made tribes of animals adapted preeminently for each element, but it seems law that such tribes, as far as compatible with such structure are in minor degrees adapted for other elements.”

  13. Transmutation Notebook D • “…changes of form in the organic world, as adaptation & these changing affect each other & their bodies, by certain laws of harmony keep perfect in these themselves… & the world peopled with Myriads of distinct forms … to the future— How far grander than [the] idea from [the] cramped imagination of God…” • Where is Darwin’s faith several years after the voyage of the Beagle?

  14. Metaphysical Notebooks M-N • Started later, after conception of natural selection • Written concurrently with transmutation D-E • Written during difficult times in London • Much of them were written in secrecy • Metaphysical implications of evolution

  15. On the Origin of Species (1859) Francis Bacon “Let no man… think or maintain that a man can search too far or be too well-studied in the book of God’s word, or in the book of God’s works… but rather let men endeavor an endless progress or proficiency in both” • Darwin put this quote opposite the title page of “On the Origin of Species” • Has Darwin’s ideas about faith and science changed since his voyage?

  16. Conclusions • “Darwin’s understanding of nature never departed from a theological point of view.” James Moore • However, his view of God did evolve from the idea of a static creation to a dynamic creation; a view drastically different from his contemporaries. • Darwin saw creation as a self-organizing process • “…from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.”

  17. SOF: Evolution and Wonder The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online Pew Forum: The Conflict Between Religion and Evolution “For the Beauty of Earth” performed by the Cambridge Singers

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