ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, April 14, 1996 TAG: 9604120093
SECTION: BOOKS PAGE: 4 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: BOOK REVIEW
SOURCE: REVIEWED BY SIDNEY BARRITT|
DARWIN: A Life in Science. By Michael White and John Gribbin. Dutton. $24.95.
Think of scientists who have radically changed the way we view the material world. The list is a short one: Galileo, Newton, Einstein, Hawking. Add Charles Darwin.
There was little in Darwin's origins and early education to foretell his later eminence. He was privileged, the son of a well-to-do physician, born in the first decade of the 19th century. His academic record was mediocre, and when pushed in the direction of a career in medicine by his father, he found it difficult and unappealing.
Pushed again to another career, this time ministry in the church, he acquiesced but found it no more appealing. His interest lay in the natural sciences, but that was scarcely the field in which to build a satisfactory career. Then the opportunity to join the Beagle on its voyage to South America presented itself. That five year journey changed not only his life but also led to the founding of modern biology.
"On the Origin of Species" sprang from that voyage, although it was 20 years in its writing. In the meantime, he published works on volcanoes and the origin of mountains, barnacles, insectivorous plants, the expression of human emotions and earthworms. The breadth and depth of his work is astounding, and it established him as one of the great scientists of the ages.
When "Origin" was published, it found a ready audience. Darwin's reputation was already established, but it did not spare him from the sort of criticism that persists to this day: the idea of evolution conflicts seriously with the interpretation that some Christians bring to their reading of the Bible.
It is well worth noting that the idea of creationism is a relatively new one in the history of the Christian church. Augustine (4th century) and Thomas Aquinas (13th century), two of the most powerful and influential thinkers in Christianity's two millennia, espoused the idea of evolution long before Darwin uncovered its scientific basis. The idea of special creation came about in part as a reaction by Christian Europe to the domination of science by the Muslim Middle East during Europe's Dark Ages.
And so, Darwin, who studied early in life for the ministry, found himself vilified by would-be colleagues for his stand in science. Nor were these the only ills to best him. He was troubled for the rest of his life by periodic fits of ill health.
How to honor Darwin after death became a touchy issue particularly because his work had won him powerful enemies who denied him the usual honors that Britain reserves for its great men and women. With adroit maneuvering, his equally powerful friends saw to it that he was buried in Westminster Abbey, an ironic touch that Darwin would doubtless have enjoyed .
Darwin's legacy continues today, debated vigorously and even furiously as is the fashion of good science. The debate, however, is about the facets and mechanisms of evolution rather than its fundamental truth. Good science is exciting stuff and this is a fascinating book.
Sidney Barritt is a Roanoke physician
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Charles Darwin\Darwin's legacy continuesby CNB