KNTV PHILOSOPHY

CHARLES DARWIN (1809-1882)

'Monkey Man' Darwin took a lot of stick when he revealed his theories about natural selection and evolution, but he set the ball rolling for the discovery of DNA, the fundamental building blocks of life.

PROGRAMME OUTLINE

00:00 – 03:51

Kierky and Nietzsche can identify with Darwin, because his ideas – like some of theirs – are still making people angry.

03:52 – 07:23
WHAT was Darwin's big idea?

In Darwin's famous book The Origin of Species, he said that all living creatures evolved from the primitive life forms that lived in the oceans millions of years ago, and that humans have the same ancestors as the chimpanzee. His theory of natural selection, or the survival of the fittest, explains how only the strongest creatures survive. His theory of evolution reveals how animals have adapted to suit their surroundings and developed features specially to attract mates.

07:24 – 11.35
WHO was Darwin?

Darwin was fascinated by nature. He was scientific adviser on the five-year voyage of the HMS Beagle, during which he discovered extraordinary creatures that had never been seen before. Renowned as the greatest naturalist who ever lived, he even had a mountain named after him. But his ideas were highly controversial because they overturned the Bible story of Creation, which many people thought to be the truth. Darwin felt guilty about this for the rest of his life.

11:36 – 15:08
WHEN Darwin was around, what else was going on?

In the early 19th century there was a yawning gulf between rich and poor. In 1811, workers rebelled and smashed their machinery in the Luddite Rising. Very young children were forced to work, and harsh laws made the death penalty a real threat. Raw sewage flowed through London, and personal hygiene was not a priority. Superstition was rife.

15:09 – 20:06
WHY was Darwin inspired?

Scientists already knew that dinosaurs had inhabited Earth before humans. Inspired by the creatures he encountered on the Beagle expedition, Darwin wondered how these animals had developed adaptations to their surroundings, and came up with his revolutionary idea of evolution of the species. His theories were – and in places, still are – extremely hard for the Church to accept.

20:07 – 24:00
WHERE have Darwin's ideas brought us today?

Darwin's ideas forced a complete shift in thinking, which has been strongly resisted by those who believe in the Bible's version of Creation. It is now widely accepted that humans evolved from amoeba and have a common ancestry with apes. Darwin's work underpinned the discovery of DNA, which in turn led to developments in forensic science. The possibility of human cloning stems from Darwin's work, and his ideas have also had an impact on artificial intelligence.