Darwin developed evolution based on anti-slavery

William Atkins
Friday, 23 January 2009 20:11

Science - Biology

According to the new book about Charles Darwin ("Darwin's Sacred Cause"), the main reason why he developed the controversial theory that all animals including humans evolved from a common ancestor was because of his hatred with the slavery of one group of humans by another group of humans.


The book—fully titled “Darwin’s Sacred Cause: How a Hatred of Slavery Shaped Darwin's Views on Human Evolution”—can be bought on Amazon.com and other online book sellers, along with your favorite brick-and-mortar store.

According to the Friday, January 23, 2009 Reuters article “Hatred of slavery drove Darwin ideas, book says,” the new book by authors Adrian Desmond and James Moore is expected “… to be one of the most controversial [books], because it explores what they call Darwin's humanitarianism and challenges the notion that his conclusions were the result of pure scientific pursuit.”

Within the Reuters article, Adrian Desmond is quoted: "There's got to be reasons why he came to common descent images of evolution when there was no precedent for that in the zoological science of his day. It comes out of anti-slavery.”

The year 2009 is the bicentennial (200th) year of the birth of Charles Darwin (February 12, 1809-April 1882).

And, the year 2009 is the 150th anniversary year (1859) of the publication of the book “On the Origin of Species” by English naturalist Charles Darwin.

The author Desmond adds, "No one doubts that the Galapagos Islands, mockingbirds, the giant ground sloths and the giant tortoises were absolutely fundamental to his views and what he was interested in.”

And, "But you have to look at some sort of marshalling principle. Every ship carried more than one naturalist generally in those days -- why did none of them come to this kind of common descent view and yet most of them had seen exactly the same evidence?"

Page two continues with an interesting article about Darwin's theory of natural selection from ChristianityToday.com