Difference between revisions of "Darwinism"

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==Overview==
 
==Overview==
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[[category:isms]][[Darwinism]] refers to the [[scientific theory]] of [[evolution]] through [[natural selection]], which was first published by [[Charles Darwin]]. It is often referred to as simply "the theory of evolution" or just "evolution", although this is actually a [[conflation]] of two different concepts:
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[[category:isms]][[category:working definitions]][[Darwinism]] is a philosophical position which holds that the [[scientific theory]] of [[evolution by natural selection]], which was first published by [[Charles Darwin]] in his book ''[[The Origin of Species]]'' in 1859, is [[scientific truth|scientifically "true"]] – i.e. that it is in fact the explanation of [[species origins]] which best fits all the available [[evidence]].
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* [[evolution]] refers to the idea that the nature of a species can change (or "evolve") over time, a fact which can be directly observed over human timescales, especially in lower life-forms such as bacteria.
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===Opposition===
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* [[natural selection]] refers to the idea that competition for scarce resources inevitably leads to a contest in which those who are more "fit", i.e. those individuals whose particular characteristics make them more likely to win the "competition" for those resources, are more likely to survive and pass any genetic component of that "fitness" on to their descendants.
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The terms "Darwinism" and "evolutionism" are often used pejoratively by [[anti-Darwinism|groups opposing Darwinian theory]] (in the sense of holding that it is untrue) in an attempt to [[social framing|frame]] the theory of evolution by natural selection – an extremely well-established scientific theory – as just another "[[:category:isms|ism]]" or [[ideology]], and thereby weaken its apparent credibility.
  
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''Note: much of the [[evolution]] article needs to be moved here, and many other articles linking to [[evolution]] should link here instead. Also  [[evolution by natural selection]] and [[evolution through natural selection]] should redirect here... or should it go the other way? -W.''
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To the extent that "Darwinism" is an ideology in the sense of being a set of established beliefs and methodologies, those beliefs and methodologies are nonetheless subject to critical scrutiny and revision in the face of new facts – as is true with any area of [[science]] and generally in sharp contrast with the fixed ideologies of those who most stridently oppose Darwinian ideas.
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Darwinism is also often criticized by anti-Darwinian groups for being "immoral". This is based on several misconceptions, which can be cleared up by considering the following facts:
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* [[Darwinism]] is not a system of [[ethics]] or [[moral]]s, it is a theory regarding a set of facts; it is neither moral nor immoral. It can be used as a [[worldview]] within which a system of morals can be derived, but it says no more about the necessary nature of those morals than does the heliocentric theory of the solar system.
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* [[Darwinism]] is not the same as "survival of the fittest", which is a kind of shorthand phrase for any sort of competition in which only the "fittest" survive.
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** Although Darwinian theory argues that the fittest do ''tend'' to survive, survival is generally a combination of fitness, circumstance, and chance. Darwinian theory also argues that the relevant "fitness" traits must be ''heritable'', which is not true of all survival-related traits.
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** Even if Darwinian theory claimed that survival was contingent on being the "fittest", this is not the same thing as saying that it is ''right'' that this is so – e.g. that humans should allow "unfit" individuals to die, or (even more absurdly) allocate the most resources to those individuals best equipped for survival. Confusion of these two claims is also known as the [[naturalistic fallacy]].
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** Although some have tried to use the "survival of the fittest" misinterpretation of Darwinian theory as justification for [[eugenics]] and other [[pseudoscientific]] ideas, Darwinian theory does not actually support such ideas.
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** Even if belief in some supposedly inescapable moral consequence of Darwinian theory led to undesirable results, this has no effect on whether or not the theory itself is true. The idea that if something must be false if belief in it would lead to undesirable consequences is an example of an [[appeal to consequences]], which is a [[logical fallacy]].
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==Related Pages==
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* All of the anti-[[Darwinian]] arguments can basically be boiled down to [[Christianity vs. Darwinism]]; the following pages need to be reorganized and renamed:
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** [[Evolution vs. direct creation]]
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*** [[Evolution vs. Intelligent Design]] ([[Intelligent Design|ID]] is a particular, somewhat de-religionized form of [[direct creation]])
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===Related Terms===
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The ideas behind [[Darwinism]] are often confused with other seemingly-similar concepts:
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* [[survival of the fittest]]
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* [[social Darwinism]]
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==Links==
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===Reference===
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* {{wikipedia}}
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** [[wikipedia:Survival of the fittest|Survival of the fittest]]
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* {{conservapedia}}: redirects to [[conservapedia:Evolutionism|Evolutionism]] as of 2007-09-01
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** separate article from [[conservapedia:Evolution|Evolution]]
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* <s>{{dkosopedia}}</s>: no article as of 2007-09-01

Revision as of 02:03, 2 September 2007

Overview

Darwinism is a philosophical position which holds that the scientific theory of evolution by natural selection, which was first published by Charles Darwin in his book The Origin of Species in 1859, is scientifically "true" – i.e. that it is in fact the explanation of species origins which best fits all the available evidence.

Opposition

The terms "Darwinism" and "evolutionism" are often used pejoratively by groups opposing Darwinian theory (in the sense of holding that it is untrue) in an attempt to frame the theory of evolution by natural selection – an extremely well-established scientific theory – as just another "ism" or ideology, and thereby weaken its apparent credibility.

To the extent that "Darwinism" is an ideology in the sense of being a set of established beliefs and methodologies, those beliefs and methodologies are nonetheless subject to critical scrutiny and revision in the face of new facts – as is true with any area of science and generally in sharp contrast with the fixed ideologies of those who most stridently oppose Darwinian ideas.

Darwinism is also often criticized by anti-Darwinian groups for being "immoral". This is based on several misconceptions, which can be cleared up by considering the following facts:

  • Darwinism is not a system of ethics or morals, it is a theory regarding a set of facts; it is neither moral nor immoral. It can be used as a worldview within which a system of morals can be derived, but it says no more about the necessary nature of those morals than does the heliocentric theory of the solar system.
  • Darwinism is not the same as "survival of the fittest", which is a kind of shorthand phrase for any sort of competition in which only the "fittest" survive.
    • Although Darwinian theory argues that the fittest do tend to survive, survival is generally a combination of fitness, circumstance, and chance. Darwinian theory also argues that the relevant "fitness" traits must be heritable, which is not true of all survival-related traits.
    • Even if Darwinian theory claimed that survival was contingent on being the "fittest", this is not the same thing as saying that it is right that this is so – e.g. that humans should allow "unfit" individuals to die, or (even more absurdly) allocate the most resources to those individuals best equipped for survival. Confusion of these two claims is also known as the naturalistic fallacy.
    • Although some have tried to use the "survival of the fittest" misinterpretation of Darwinian theory as justification for eugenics and other pseudoscientific ideas, Darwinian theory does not actually support such ideas.
    • Even if belief in some supposedly inescapable moral consequence of Darwinian theory led to undesirable results, this has no effect on whether or not the theory itself is true. The idea that if something must be false if belief in it would lead to undesirable consequences is an example of an appeal to consequences, which is a logical fallacy.

Related Pages

Related Terms

The ideas behind Darwinism are often confused with other seemingly-similar concepts:

Links

Reference

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