Bryson reading 2013_all tasks

Text E

Why was Thomas Huxley nicknamed "Darwin's Bulldog"?

Of all of the proponents of evolution, Thomas Huxley's nickname helped him stand out above all the rest - "Darwin's Bulldog." Thomas Huxley was a scientist and philosopher of the 19th century. He was most famous for his vehement defense of evolution as the source of earth's diverse life forms. He once said that he "protected" Darwin, referring to himself as "his bull dog." The moniker stuck, despite the philosophical and historical differences between the two men. Huxley was famed for some of his other exploits. Among these, his debate with Archbishop Samuel Wilberforce, his "progressive" philosophical work, and his supposed coining of the term "agnostic."

Huxley was initially reluctant to throw his full support behind evolution. This was common before Darwin published "The Origin of Species." Darwin did not invent evolution by any stretch of the imagination. There were many scientists who preferred the concept of evolution to creation. Yet, there was no logical, plausible explanation for how evolution proceeded. Darwin's book suggested the mechanism of natural selection, and was embraced by a community eager for support of their preferred view.

Thomas Huxley was one such supporter. He was thrilled by Darwin's work, and defended it to great publicity and effect. Huxley did not agree with the entirety of Darwin's theories, however. Huxley could see the problems with Darwin's slow-moving, gradual evolution. There was (and still is) a lack of fossil evidence to support transitional forms, and a great deal of evidence to suggest a sudden explosion of new species. Huxley believed in a much more rapid evolution - a notion that entirely different species could spring up in just a few generations. Thomas Huxley and Charles Darwin argued endlessly about their differing views on evolution.

Darwin's theory, according to Huxley, was the "best available explanation" for evolution. A point often lost is that Huxley admitted that Darwin's theory did not "prove evolution." Much as a witness in a court case can provide a plausible explanation for events, that explanation is nothing but theory until it has been proven beyond all doubt. The lack of direct evidence for Darwin's theory of natural selection was what kept Thomas Huxley, the skeptic, from throwing his full support behind it. Yet it was his desire to find naturalistic explanations for life that truly gave "Darwin's Bulldog" a reason to bare his teeth.

http://www.allaboutscience.org/thomas-huxley-faq.htm

11

Text F

How did Sir Charles Lyell influence Charles Darwin?

Sir Charles Lyell was a renowned geologist of the mid-nineteenth century. He was a firm believer in uniformitarianism. This philosophy claims that geological and biological "causes," or forces, have always been working in the same way and with the same intensity. Lyell's work formed the foundation of belief in a universe billions of years old. Though Lyell had trouble accepting some evolutionary theories, his work heavily influenced Charles Darwin. In fact, Darwin's concept of gradual evolution lacked an acceptable time frame until he embraced Lyell's old-earth theories.

Charles Lyell and Charles Darwin shared a support for uniformitarianism. This conflicted with the then-prevailing theory of catastrophism. Catastrophism is the belief that the universe, and earth, experienced major changes only as a result of major, rapid, catastrophic events. Scientists at the time saw no hard evidence to suggest that the earth was old enough to experience largescale changes in any other way.

Uniformitarian theory became more popular as Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection became popular. Like Darwin's theories, the work of Sir Charles Lyell provided logical, rational explanations that suited the beliefs of many scientists. Over time, those explanations were considered proofs, and nowadays the scientific community at large accepts Lyell's explanations for rock layers and other geological effects with little question.

The relationship between Lyell's work and Darwin's work foreshadowed an aspect of human science still active today. Darwin accepted Lyell's work, in large part, because it helped him to validate his own beliefs. There were other geological studies that undermined Darwin's ideas, but he chose not to accept them. Lyell himself, ironically, was reluctant to accept Darwin's model of evolution because he did not see evidence to support it. In much the same way, some scientific evidence is applauded by a community when it supports the beliefs they already have. Evidence, even when valid, that goes against this belief is either ignored or attacked as being "unscientific."

It is critical to remember that an explanation may be logical, comprehensive, and have supporting data, yet still be wrong. The back-and-forth swing between these theories, as with other major discoveries throughout history, emphasizes that human beings have a tendency to believe first and find facts to fit their beliefs later. The enabling aspect of Sir Charles Lyell's work in relationship to Charles Darwin highlights the tendency for human beings, even scientists, to accept reasons and explanations based on preference, more than merit.

http://www.allaboutscience.org/

12