It emerges from last evening's debate that two of the 10 Republican presidential candidates--Mike Huckabee and Tom Tancredo---don't believe in the theory of evolution. These aren't the big hitters on the GOP side, but it reveals an interesting under-current of anti-Darwin sentiment among Republicans and conservatives.
I know many on the right, especially the Christian right, are scared of Darwin. Even intellectual magazines like Commentary seem to have adopted an anti-Darwin position. This has enabled many on the left, as well as the professional atheists like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, to portray conservative Christians as yahoos. Sometimes we do come across that way.
In my forthcoming book "What's So Great About Christianity" I will show why, contrary to the claims of Dawkins and company, Darwinian evolution does not undermine the design argument for God. On the contrary, the latest findings of modern science have greatly strengthened that argument. Paley was right and Dawkins is wrong. Fasten your seat-belt and wait for my book, or, if you are a real fanatic, pre-order it here.
But if Christian anxiety is misplaced, conservatives are even further off the mark. That's because Darwin's theory actually supports conservative positions in all kinds of interesting ways. First, Darwin gives a dark and selfish view of human nature, which is why we need a tough foreign policy to deal with bad guys who cannot be talked out of their badness--even if U.N. cocktails are served. In addition, the selfishness in human nature warrants a system called capitalism which channels this self-orientation toward the material betterment of society.
It gets better. Darwin shows that social institutions like the family are founded in the deep human drive to reproduce and care for the young. Reproduction and self-perpetuation are the natural root of human family arrangements, which cannot be redefined as mechanisms of "self-fulfillment" without jeopardizing their biological basis and function. Consider a simple statistic: when divorced moms remarry or have boyfriends in the house, those surrogate parents are vastly more likely to physically and sexually abuse the children than their own parents. Darwinian theory supplies the reason: the real parent shares the same genes as the child and this forms a bond that dispels sexual attraction and discourages abuse. "Family values" are supported by modern evolutionary biology.
I'm not saying embrace Darwinian evolution because it is politically useful. I am saying don't hastily reject a theory that has a lot of evidence going for it when it has the added merit of being politically congenial.
Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 11)
16. The new incarnation of Herbert Spencer --Dinesh
Steve Griffith at 10:03AM on May 4th 2007
17. Mr.D'Souza, You, like many of your potential book buyers, are religious yahoos. Your conservative ilk has an agenda to deny women equal rights; explain evolution as a religious theory; and are afraid to call evolution a scientific fact, which every respected scientist knows it is. What about carbon dated fossils showing the earth to be many million years old, not just 10,000 or 6,000 years old, as that multi-scribed bible says? Or the Koran, which promises 72 female virgins for dead Muslims? You, sir, are a yahoo cheerleader.
Robert at 10:08AM on May 4th 2007
18. Peter writes: "Here we go again with some nutjob writing it off as just a theory."
Sounds concise and accurate to me. As you adroitly state - evolution is directly observable (in fact, at your nearest medical lab).
Phil at 10:07AM on May 4th 2007
19. The new incarnation of Herbert Spencer--Dinesh--"the new social darvinist" D'Souza.
Steve Griffith at 10:08AM on May 4th 2007
20.
Clearly you are the one who hasn't really studied it Joseph. A lot of people a lot smarter than you devote their lives to the study of it. I guarantee you any "hole" in the core basis of the theory you can cite I can disprove in about ten seconds.
I'm serious, try me.
Peter at 10:08AM on May 4th 2007
21. What you never hear or will hear from those who believe in the theory of evolution is that before Darwin died, he retracted all of his ideas on evolution and embraced creation as being from God. Think about that.
Rod at 10:10AM on May 4th 2007
22. let's assume that Darwin was wrong...for the sake of discussion. Now....how do we honor Creation? How do we marvel at the wonders around us. Are we really limited to sitting around in drab groups droning "God is Great"?
dorothy at 10:22AM on May 4th 2007
23.
Maybe because that's a complete lie? His daughter was at his deathbed and said he did not convert to Christianity.
Some Christian somewhere made that up to discredit him.
Peter at 10:27AM on May 4th 2007
24. Someone at Stanford who believes that the scientific findings of evolution only strenthen the argument of intelligent design... SCARY!
Erik Bergerud at 10:29AM on May 4th 2007
25.
Still waiting on someone to point out a "hole" in the core principle of the theory so I can prove them wrong, any takers?
Peter at 10:29AM on May 4th 2007
26. Fear of Darwin? From what I understand, Darwin said himself he didn't believe in what he wrote about. I just believe in common sense. For every design, there has to be a designer. It takes more faith to believe in evolution than creation.
Carol at 10:53AM on May 4th 2007
27. Evolution is just a theory...
It's so much more comforting to believe in an invisible omnipotent man in the sky. THAT is the foolish thing cited above "If 50,000, or 50,000,000 people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."
When your backs up against the wall in a debate, and the best you have is "thats what the Bible says". Do us all a favor and stay out of the debate and stay in church where you belong.
mike sullivan at 9:16AM on May 6th 2007
28. We cannot repeat unique events that have taken place when there were no human obervers. Thus the issue of origins is outside of Science AND History. Just like Creation, Evolution is in the realm of Religion or Imagination.
Berj at 10:45AM on May 4th 2007
29. It's dissapointing to see Mr. D'Souza using the same intellectual bullying tactics of the homosexual protectors. According to them, those against the homosexual agenda don't have intellectual disagreements with the homosexual lifestyle; we are suffering from homophobia. The clear message is that if you express any disagreement with the homosexual lifestyle, you will, at least symbolically, be locked up in some psychiatric asylum. In the same way, Mr. D'Souza locks all those who disagree with Darwinism in some Yahoo Hall of Shame. If you pro-homosexuals or pro-Darwinists are so sure of your theories, do not be afraid to debate those who disagree with you, rather than threatening them with excommunication.
uakujuo at 10:47AM on May 4th 2007
30. I"Believe". Given my life experience's that we create our external reality from our belief's, what we believe creates the reality we experience. I also believe that there is an intelligent source from which all creation springs. I would not however define it as the god of christanity.
Clyde W. Mahoney at 10:45AM on May 4th 2007