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“Doubts about Darwinism,” by G. K. Chesterton

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Check out the following piece by G. K. Chesterton, published in 1920.

. . . The Darwinians have this mark of fighters for a lost cause, that they are perpetually appealing to sentiment and to authority. Put your bat or your rhinoceros simply and innocently as a child might put them, before the Darwinian, and he will answer by an appeal to authority. He will probably answer with the names of various German professors; he will not answer with any ordinary English words, explaining the point at issue. God condescended to argue with Job, but the last Darwinian will not condescend to argue with you. He will inform you of your ignorance; he will not enlighten your ignorance.

And I will add this point of merely personal experience of humanity: when men have a real explanation they explain it, eagerly and copiously and in common speech, as Huxley freely gave it when he thought he had it. When they have no explanation to offer, they give short dignified replies, disdainful of the ignorance of the multitude.

Source: http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/~mward/gkc/books/Doubts_About_Darwinism.html

Comments
I really admire G.K. Chesterton--one of the greatest writers in history, yet all but ignored by the intelligensia. My favorite Chesterton quote: "The falsity of religion disproves the existence of God no more than the existence of a forged five pound bank note disproves the existence of the Bank of Scotland."TerryL
December 6, 2006
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[...] From UD, a quote from Chesterton: The Darwinians have this mark of fighters for a lost cause, that they are perpetually appealing to sentiment and to authority. Put your bat or your rhinoceros simply and innocently as a child might put them, before the Darwinian, and he will answer by an appeal to authority. He will probably answer with the names of various German professors; he will not answer with any ordinary English words, explaining the point at issue. God condescended to argue with Job, but the last Darwinian will not condescend to argue with you. He will inform you of your ignorance; he will not enlighten your ignorance. [...]Darwiniana » Doubts about Darwinism
December 5, 2006
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Great essay. The way he illustrates his points reminds me of C. S. Lewis' technique.dacook
December 5, 2006
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As the saying goes, "the more things change, the more they stay the same."Larry Fafarman
December 4, 2006
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Chesterton has held up well over time, over a wide span of topics. Some things just never change, do they?Jaz
December 4, 2006
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It is interesting that Michael Crichton lists GK with indelible foresight into the future issues of eugenics in the appendix of his new book NEXT. While not his best work NEXT is a very interesting read and relevant for many of the discussions herelate_model
December 4, 2006
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I found this comment interesting as well: "But these cases alone will be sufficient to suggest, to anybody of the smallest commonsense, that there is a fallacy somewhere in the simple argument that only an expert in detail can perceive that there is a difficulty, or declare that there is a defeat. " Alas, we lack Darwinian enlightenment. Poor wretches we are.PaV
December 4, 2006
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