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Wallace vs. Darwin: The cost of the road not taken

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A friend writes to note a piece recently posted at ENV, “John West on Alfred Wallace and the Road Not Taken”:

At the inception of the theory of evolution, Darwin and co-discoverer Alfred Russel Wallace represented two paths forward, one headed in the end to nihilism, atheism, and despair — basically, today’s ascendant culture — the other to a wondrous and hope-giving recognition that material stuff is not all there is in the universe. As Wallace argued, a source of intelligent agency lies behind the changing façade of nature:

Wallace expounded his views at length in two scientific books near the end of his life: Man’s Place in the Universe (1903) and The World of Life (1910). He saw evidence of purpose in the functional complexity of the cell, the exquisite design of biological structures, and the rare constellation of physical factors that allows life to exist on the earth in the first place. “Everywhere, not here and there, but everywhere, and in the very smallest operations of nature to which human observation has penetrated, there is Purpose and a continual Guidance and Control.”

In our own day, Lehigh University biochemist Michael Behe and geneticist Michael Denton are prime examples of scientists who, like Wallace, see evolution as a fundamentally purposeful process. That they are regarded as beyond the pale by most current evolutionary biologists reflects the triumph of the metaphysics of Darwinism enforced by academic pressures of conformity that oppress dissent rather than consider evidence. The Church of Darwin is so narrow today that even the cofounder of the theory would have to be declared a heretic.

Let that sink in. If the co-discoverer of evolutionary theory were alive today, he would be attacked by the National Center for Science Education as a “creationist.”

For sure. See also: Pants in knot: “Creationism” in Louisiana schools (Also, what about the racism, based on Darwinism, for example? Why does that never matter when Darwin’s sacred name is invoked?)

And Why is everyone a creationist now?

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Wallace’s World of Life is free for download there, commenters wanted (trolls discouraged. 😉 )

Comments
Wallace was dumb wrong too. Both simply saw variations in species and concluded it must be from a natural mechanism. Not God created. The error was saying its beyond kinds. Including the lack of options for other mechanisms. Like to explain peoples looks. They convinced themselves too quick because a few things made sense. Like Newton convinced himself about alchemy/prophecy stuff just because he got right, he thought, some ideas in physics.Robert Byers
June 6, 2015
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