Wednesday, November 24, 2010

On The Origin Of Species

Those were the days when science as a topic was learned as part of religious studies. The scientific establishments were closely tied to the Churches.

During this period of the 1850s, Lord John Russell, the grandfather of Lord Bertrand Russell was the Prime Minister of England, Nicholas I was the Emperor of Russia, Frederick William IV was the King of Germany, Napoleon III was the Emperor of France, the 1st transpacific telegraph cable was laid, the Mughal Empire was disbanded by the British, Russia on one side and Great Britain, France and Ireland on the other side fought the Crimean War, and the western world fought the Opium War with China.

This was also the time that Charles Darwin published in 1959 one of the greatest works “On the Origin of Species”. Since that day, the creation-evolution controversy still exists amongst the cultural, political, scientific, and theological communities. Fundamentalists have thrived on both sides. The US banned the teaching of evolution in schools. Man has not come around to accept that he descended from a lower order of animals. Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and other religions all have their own and different version on this subject. All in all, after many failed attempts, I finally got around to completing this difficult book. Though I must own up, the better part was beyond me to comprehend and comment. Nevertheless, with years passing by, a belief is being established that one cannot have science and religion in the same bin. Both are too diametrically viewed and going forward one does not perceive any scope or hope for reconciliation.

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