Darwin and Religion

Term Paper # 100665

Anthropology
Religion and Theology

An analysis of the role of religion in the controversy surrounding Darwin's theories in the nineteenth century.

1,711 words () | 3 sources | MLA | 2008 | United States

Published on: Jan 21, 2008

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how during the nineteenth century there was controversy surrounding Darwin's publication of "On the Origin of Species". It looks at how his arguments were so contrary to mainstream religious thought that, although they were quickly incorporated into the scientific corpus, the religious community and the lay public has had a more difficult time accepting Darwin's thesis.

From the Paper:

"The scientific importance of Darwin's ideas, thus, was not without precedent. Other scholars had suggested similar explanations for speciation. What differentiated Darwin was the incredible wealth of observations and experimental evidence that he amassed in order to demonstrate the validity of his theory (McGowen 21). Despite this evidence, the explanation generated controversy almost from the start. Some of this controversy unquestionably came from the scientific community, which would have debated and argued the finer points of Darwin's work to determine its worthiness as an explanation for natural phenomenon."

Sample of Sources Used:

Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species. Facsimile. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1964.
Levinson, Martin H. "Science versus Religion: A False Dichotomy?" ETC: A Review of General Semantics 63.4 (Oct. 2006): 422-429.
McGowen, Tom. The Great Monkey Trial: Science versus Fundamentalism in America. New York: Franklin Watts, 1990.