An Analysis of The Theory of Evolution and Religion by Charles Darwin
Through the essay, with the use of persuasive aim, Charles Darwin tries to persuade the reader that the Theory of Evolution is the only reliable explanation for the variety of species that we see in the world today. He also attacks the theory "each species has been independently created". Charles Darwin writes persuasively that: " When I view all beings not as special creations, but as the lineal descendants of some few beings which lived long before the first bed of the Cambrian system was deposited, they seem to me to become ennobled". With his theory, Charles Darwin persuades the readers, successfully, that all life is related and has descended from a common ancestor: the birds and the bananas, the fishes and the flowers - all related. He also brings his theory and religion closer together. He sees "no good reason why the views given in this volume should shock the religious feelings of anyone". Charles Darwin writes about life "having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one", "from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved". He presents his idea that all that we call life, involving the law of gravity, and the Theory of Evolution, etc, are created by one Creator - God.
Charles Darwin organizes his essay by the mode of evaluation. He evaluates the Theory of Evolution, gives his opinion about this Theory and its relationship to the ideology of Religion. He attacks the belief that each species has been independently created. He says that religious belief "was almost unavoidable as long as the history of the world was thought to be short of duration". But "as the lineal descendants of some few beings which lived long before the first bed of the Cambrian system was deposited", other explanations must necessarily be explored. He feels that his theory, the Theory of Evolution, is definitely right, but he does understand why it is problematic for the religious. He also points out that the law of the attraction of gravity, "the greatest discovery ever made by man", was "attacked by Leibnitz, "as subversive of natural, and inferentially of revealed, religion"". In his opinion, Charles Darwin explains that his theory does not conflict with any religions, because all things of this world; past, present and future, were, are and will be created by God.
With his strong persuasive work, it looks like Charles Darwin "forces" the readers to believe in the Theory of Evolution. He also works to resolve the conflict between the Theory and Religion, so that the Theory will be acceptable to religious thoughts. With this work, we can believe that the Theory of Evolution will lasts long inside the readers and the scientists, even after two centuries!
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5 Comments
Post a CommentLucky you : you're probably the only one on Earth who has had the opportunity to read this book (or article). Please share with us the reference so we can enjoy this ghost-publication too.
This may be not a book, but maybe just an article that Darwin wrote. I have to write an essay about this article, too.
Um darwin wrote no such book, what are u on about
Isn't the goal of any any argument to prove one's point? And must that goal not be achieved through persuasive aims? This is merely the art of rhetoric, and it is certainly not "forcing" anyone into believing any viewpoint. To suggest so is to insult the reader's intelligence and to discredit their powers of discretion. Certainly there is very little excuse anymore for not being able to access various viewpoints to counter Darwin's argument; however, in his day he had to reconcile the gap between empirical thinking and unquestioning belief. That is all this work represents - a bridge between the old and the new. After all, Man wasn't present at the Creation, so how can Man's notion of the Beginning be perfect?
Interesting. I never knew that Darwin wrote this book. Do you mind telling where and when it was published?