Page 16 - Once Upon a Time There Was Darwinism

or any other animal. Electricity is produced by a stream of
electrons, and metal conducts the electrons more easily. The
theory of "animal electricity" was simply an error of a particu-
lar moment in history.

These examples clearly show that in the past, some to-
tally wrong claims have been made about processes that are
very well known today. Scientists have been caught up in var-
Once Upon a Time There Was Darwinism
ious errors either because of the unsophisticated research
equipment of their time, their limited understanding, or be-
cause of their own prejudices. Among such scientific errors,
the greatest—and most enduring—historic example is one
theory put forward concerning the origins of life. This theory's
illogical claims have exerted a much greater influence than

any of the examples given above. This error, called
Darwinism, unites a materialist world view with a belief in
evolution.
At one time, with insufficient evidence at hand, some
people regarded this theory as scientific. Charles Darwin's
book The Origin of Species was known to be inconsistent, even
at the time of its publication in 1859, but it awakened interest
in some circles. Darwin made his assumptions without the
benefit of genetics or biochemistry. But the mistaken claims he
made, based on the then-insufficient fossil record, were avidly
welcomed by those inclined to accept them for philosophical

reasons. There was a clear affinity between Darwin's theory
and materialist philosophy. Darwin tried to explain the ori-
gins of all living things in terms of chance and material fac-
tors, and therefore his theory rejected the existence of a

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