Charles Darwin's Bicentenial: A Good Reason to Celebrate Our Species Inquiry into Our Origins

Seeking and Examining the Evidence

It's not easy having our long-held beliefs challenged, especially when those beliefs have become part of one's identity. Science has given us knowledge--often by destroying our esteemed views of humanity and the world around us. But, this is good; we have a brain that can learn lots, think in the abstract, and able to create greatness.... if we want to.

It's incredible that more Americans today believe in creationism than evolution. A religious belief that we were made in our present form a few thousand years ago. This is despite the theory of evolution being one of the strongest scientific theories we've got--tested and confirmed many times over. Yes, science has told us that we are not the center of the universe and that our species wasn't created in the image of gods, but the other way around. Of course, we're special, but in our brief moments of existence, we should try to make the best of it through a progressive culture of life!

Two hundred years ago, on February 12, Charles Darwin was born. Fifty years later (another reason to celebrate, the 150th anniversary this year), he published THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES, but it seems that news travels very slowly in a dense medium....

Anyway, another great great thinker, Richard Dawkins summarizes Darwin's discoveries in the following video:

Our leaders must provide leadership and not try to appeal to the lowest common denominator. It unconscionable that presidential candidates declare, and being proud of it, that they don't believe in evolution. It's appalling that we still pay such a great homage to superstition and ignorance. There's a price to pay for shunning knowledge, reason, and progress.

There's something about science that I find fascinating, and it falls within my definition of the meaning of life. My need to know is greater than my fears. I welcome a challenge and I'm open to revision. It's incredible that I'd hold a belief just because it made feel good when the evidence is contradictory.

PS>Today it's Abe Lincoln's birthday too. He was also a person who helped humanity take a couple big steps forward.