What are the true functions of creation stories (myths)? How should they be viewed today?

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Jeffrey Ramsey
5 years ago
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1 History of Evolutionary Thought Don t panic! You will not be required to know all of these names on an exam. The review questions that will be posted later will guide you in your exam prep. What are the true functions of creation stories (myths)? How should they be viewed today? USSHER Early 17 th century: calculated from O.T. earth s creation in 4004 B.C. (B.C.E.) LIGHTFOOT Make that 4004 B.C. on October 23 at 9:00 a.m.! RAY Concept of decline from original perfection. Opposed atomistic explanations. Original plan for creation, universe essentially static. ATOMISM Concept goes back to ancient Greeks. Structures of universe formed by matter in motion according to basic laws. Unacceptable to many on religious grounds. BOYLE and NEWTON A middle ground: God creates, then universe functions according to rules of nature Philosophical problem emerges from this view. Attempting to reconcile contrary conceptions: 1. nature as law-bound system of matter and motion and 2. idea of nature as created as a home for humans and for their use by an omnipotent, omniscient and benevolent God. Also: matter in motion implies change. But universe believed to be essentially static. COPERNICUS Sixteenth century: Earth revolves around sun GALILEO Sixteenth century: Telescope sun spots and craters on moon. Scientific explanation of creation

2 NEWTON Laws of motion WHISTON Newton s laws used to explain Biblical creation story (1696). Use of comets. Noah s flood: events prearranged by God to make punishment fit the crime. BUFFON Mid to late 18 th century: excluded Bible from natural history. Forced to retract hypothesis that solar system formed by collision between sun and comet. HERSCHEL Stars in motion, universe dynamic, life history of stellar phenomena. But still saw universe as God s handiwork. Disturbing to many, nonetheless. LAPLACE End of 18 th century: Scientific theory of formation of solar system From sky to earth: BURNET Applies natural processes to explain events in Bible (e.g., as the earth dried, cracks formed and opened, allowing water to escape Noah s flood). Decline from original perfection one sided view HOOKE Late 17 th century: saw fossils for what they were. But he was a catastrophist. What does this mean for interpretation of natural history? STENO Understanding of stratification, but held to 6,000 year chronology. HUTTON Late 18 th century: Uniformitarianism Unavoidable implication: earth much older than 6000 years PLAYFAIR Early 19 th century: Earth old, humans not CUVIER More on fossils: extinctions occur through catastrophes. Change extraordinary. Short time frame maintained.

3 LAMARCK Extinct species are ancestors of existing species evolution, adaptation. Therefore, species mutable. Most people at this time believed species were immutable (fixed). Long time-frame necessary. Concept of vestigial organs. Model for human evolution from apes. Belief in inheritance of acquired characteristics. LINNAEUS Classification of species on basis of similarities BUFFON Believed species fixed, but stressed variability and idea that maladapted ones might become extinct Ancient humans: Why was it so hard to recognize stone tools for what they were? ALDROVANDI Mid 17 th century: Fails to see stone tools for what they were. Instead, formed by lightning in clouds. MERCATI Saw stone tools for what they were: so-called thunderbolts the weapons of primitive people lacking metallurgy DUGDALE Stone tools the weapons of people before metallurgy CONYERS Discovered stone tool with bones in late 1600 s. Others refused to believe that humans associated with prehistoric animals. Must be recent. FRERE Recognized significance of stone tools in undisturbed strata 12 feet below the surface and in association with extinct animals. Dated to a very remote period indeed, even beyond that of the present world. LYELL Key event: publication of third volume of Principles of Geology in BOUCHER DE PERTHES 1838 publication rejecting Diluvial theory to explain association of human artifacts with bones of extinct animals.

4 PENGELLY Excavated sealed deposits showing association of stone tools and extinct animals. Flint tools associated with extinct animals under layer of stalagmite 8 inches thick, having within and on it relics of lion, hyaena [hyena], bear, mammoth, rhinoceros and reindeer. CONCEPT OF PROGRESS Strengthened by studies of monkeys and apes Problems: false information on apes in the wild and humans in remote locations Savagery to civilization Looking at apes and humans: BURNET (LORD MONBODDO) Concept of struggle for existence Evolution of species by steps. Constant development. Perfectibility. MONOGENIST AND POLYGENIST Major issue in 18 th century: human races separate species? Problem of single species in 6,000 year time-frame. BLUMENBACH Environmentalism and racism: darker skins of Mongolian, American, Malay and Ethiopian races degeneration caused by environment. Like most, believed acquired characteristics could be inherited. BUFFON (again) Views similar to Blumenbach s. His (amazing) time frame of 70,000 to 100,000 years seemed too short. Believed that humans had to be older than separation of continents. DE MAUPERTUIS Early concept of selection. Differences such as darker skin colors occurred spontaneously. People with such characteristics forced to leave! Established new populations in regions of the earth. KANT Concept of pre-adaptation. Humans endowed with latent powers. Dark skins of Africans an adaptive response to their environment. PRICHARD Applied concept of evolution to human physical and mental development Develops concept of selection, but rejected inheritance of acquired characteristics. Explored sexual selection.

5 WELLS Only one species of human: skin color not a valid indicator. Argued that darker skin colors might be correlated with resistance to certain diseases. Selection operates through normal variation in a population. If population moves to area where a certain disease present, those with resistance favored more likely to survive and reproduce. Leads to shift over time to darker color as normal. First to recognize similarity of natural and artificial selection DARWIN Theory of natural selection Random variation, struggle for existence and adaptive selection the keys Use of embryology to make his case Publication of Origin of Species in Improvement through selection only measured through increased survival. WALLACE Independent development of concept of natural selection But, on the other hand: incorrect application to development of human races. A racist conclusion based in part on belief that races established before humans acquired intellectual capacities that made them truly human. Believed that those who lived in temperate regions would advance and those in tropics would not. Advanced races destined to dominate the lower and more degraded races. DARWIN Publication of The Descent of Man in Evolution of humans from a now extinct ape. Explored sexual selection. Races arose AFTER humans became truly human. Each race has its own style of beauty UNILINEAR vs. MULTILINEAR EVOLUTION Unilinear model used by some to justify oppression and exploitation of non-western people. Archaeology eventually shows unilinear evolution to be false. Instead, evolution is multilinear.

Objectives: Performance Objective: By the end of this session, the participants will be able to discuss the weaknesses of various theories that suppor

Science versus Peace? Deconstructing Adversarial Theory Objectives: Performance Objective: By the end of this session, the participants will be able to discuss the weaknesses of various theories that support