Charles Darwin once wrote “I am not apt to follow blindly the lead of other men,” a bold statement that epitomized his experimental and revolutionary approach in science during his lifetime. Darwin’s controversial Theory of Evolution caused a paradigm shift in the centrally fundamentalist society of his time. Inherit The Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee was loosely based on the historical Scopes Trial in 1925; the trial exemplified conflicting beliefs between evolution and creationism. In the play two men represent two opposing forces at large— lawyer Henry Drummond advocates for man’s right to think and “right to be wrong.” while politician Matthew Harrison Brady complies to the Bible’s teachings or "Living Truth of the
Scriptures.” Comparatively, Drummond and Brady are analogous in that they are both respectable, well-known, and fairly confident men willing to fight for their causes in valiant manners. Drummond and Brady similarly hold notable positions in their society, however, essentially serve as character foils to each other, varying greatly in differences between their own set of values, intentions, and mindsets. Drummond and Brady both yield adamant positions in the case. Drummond serves to defend Bertram Cates, the underdog, while Brady volunteers as prosecutor to stand up against the “moral injustices done unto the innocent children of Hillsboro." Nevertheless, their mentalities in participating in the case prove to be different as Drummond displays
His emphasis in his writing has been antebellum reform movements, what makes this book unique from other historical novels is it attempts to only
I am a member of the Royal Society, I fully support Charles Darwin and his work on gradualism and the idea of natural selection. I have read Darwin’s book On the Origin of Species and have read the work of Hough Falconer who is a paleontologist that found early fossil evidence to support Darwin’s theory. In our world we are surrounded by variation, variation can be seen in habitats, plats, animals, and humans. Their needs to be variation throughout life so that organisms will be able to survive and reproduce. Through what I have read, I believe that variation is necessary in order for species to evolve. In society, creationist and scientists debate about how the world came to be. It is questioned if God created the world in six days or if
Alexander Von Humboldt was a Prussian naturalist whose work has helped shape and define our modern understanding of nature. He used enlightenment rationalism to navigate his way through life and his deep connection to his natural environment inspired a visionary movement in ushering out the monotheistic creationist worldview. “Humboldt’s books, diaries and letters reveal a visionary, a thinker far ahead of his time. He invented isotherms...discovered the magnetic equator...came up with the idea of vegetation and climate zones that snake across the globe…and revolutionized the way we see the natural world.” (Invention of Nature, 5). Although his work was extensive, author of ‘The Invention of Nature, Andrea Wulf suggests that his work has largely been forgotten due to his polymath approach of including art, history, poetry and politics that made him unfavorable. While Humboldt gave us our concept of nature itself, “the irony is that Humboldt’s views have become so self-evident that we have largely forgotten the man behind them.” However, although his work individual work may be overlooked, Humboldt’s success in making science more accessible work and as a result, his legacy lives on as the source of inspiration for many influential thinkers throughout history.
Years ago, Charles Darwin developed a theory of evolution. The strong will readjust and change while the weak die off. This became known as natural selection. The world is ever changing and in order to survive, one must adapt to their surroundings. Without doing so, the chances of survival are slim. Much like society today. Society has the top 1%, who are adjusting just fine to this ever changing world. But what about the other 99% of people? Majority of them are the ones struggling to change their life. Whether it be by going to school to earn a degree and a higher paying job, or cutting back on expenses to afford the necessities of life, one must adapt. Dystopian literature gives people an idea of what could happen in this ever growing, refined world. Most dystopian literatures install a sense of fear in people. A fear that society could be taken over by a select few, an unnatural force, or Mother Nature herself. The movie, In Time¸ and the story by Ray Bradbury, The Murderer, give chilling examples of what could, or could not, become of just Earth, but society as well.
commentary on Puritan society is spread throughout their works. Their views on the laws set
Every man has opinions, some which are stronger than others, but do these thoughts define the man? In Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s play Inherit The Wind opinions do not define the people who advocate them. Each character in this play has viewpoints that influence their actions. The bravery, honesty and determination required to express an opinion defines a person more than the opinion, allowing one to respect a man who advocates unpopular opinions.
-Drummond believes that progress is inevitable and we must learn to accept change and new ways of thinking. Drummond supports Cates in the trial and tells him that even when it seems the entire world is against you, if you believe in something, you should stand up for it. “If you honestly believe you committed a criminal act against the citizens of this state and the minds of their children.” (Pg. 52)
For more than 150 years, a revolutionary idea has been spreading all over the world. It helped us discover our origins and revealed our place in nature. It led to the unification of once independent fields of scientific inquiry. And it is being used today to tackle some of the most pressing problems facing modern civilization. But its implications go far beyond science. It has shaped our culture, politics, philosophy and religion, and it has been used to justify war and genocide. That idea is Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.
The subject of origins, or how we got here, is one of the most fundamental questions that can be asked. The important question of why we are here can’t be answered by science alone. How we answer these questions provides the basis for how we think about things, it defines our world-view. The Evolution vs. Creation debate is often referred to as the Great Debate. 20th century science has made the compelling discovery that, at some point, the universe began. Both sides of the debate Evolutionists and Creationists agree on one thing only, that the universe has not always existed. This is where their agreement ends. The why and how the universe began is where the division and dispute begins.
Inherit the Wind, based on the famous “Scopes Monkey Trial” in the small town Dayton, Tennessee, was written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. The play was not intended to depict the actual history or the proceedings in the Scopes’ trial but it was used as a vehicle for exploring social anxiety and ant-intellectualism that existed in the Americas during the1950s. Lawrence and Lee wrote the play as a response to the threat to intellectual freedom presented by the anti-Communist hysteria of the McCarthy era. The major themes depicted in the Inherit the Wind include the intellectual curiosity, narrow-mindedness or limited perception, the importance of religion, and the relationship between the perception of
Charles Darwin began his scientific breakthroughs and upcoming theories when he began an expedition trip to the Galapagos Islands of South America. While studying there, he discovered that each island had its own type of plant and animal species. Although these plants and animals were similar in appearance, they had other characteristics that made them differ from one another and seem to not appear as similar. Darwin questioned why these plants and animals were on these islands and why they are different in ways.
Over the course of this analysis, I will use information from Gardner’s Changing Minds (Gardner, 2006) and Uzzi and Dunlap’s How to Build Your Network (Uzzi, 2005) to assess Charles Darwin’s influence as a non-positional leader. I will also show a historical analysis, including my reasons for choosing Darwin as my subject, his background, the success and failures of his influence, as well as his legacy. Finally, I will submit my vision of non-positional leadership and mechanisms for leaders to explore their non-positional roles.
My favorite takeaways from investigating Darwin’s life are the value of humility, to compile evidence to fortify claims, to question authority and, lastly, to never give up. Darwin learned the value and importance of humility. As a scientist, Darwin understood how little of the world we knew.
“As a world view, Darwinism cannot of course be refuted, since Faith is, always has been, and always will be, stronger than facts. “ - Francis P. Yockey
The Creationist and Evolutionist worldview is one of, if not, the most controversial issue ever debated, and has been for centuries. The two oppositional worldviews are at, what seems to be, an unending war. Mainly because of their many blatant differences like: the age of the earth, the fossil record, the origin of plants and animal, but none more prominent than the issue regarding the origin of mankind.