Understanding Darwinism

GENED 1004 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

How does scientific knowledge develop, how is it shaped by history, and what effect does it have on society? 

An interdisciplinary exploration of Darwin's ideas and their impact on science and society, this course links the history of Darwin's ideas with the key features of modern evolutionary biology. We review the development of the main elements of the theory of evolution, highlighting the areas in which Darwin's ideas have proved remarkably robust and areas in which subsequent developments have significantly modified the theory. The theory overspills biology because it inevitably asks important questions about who we are, both as individuals and as a species.  The seismic claim that we -- brilliant, brainy, world-conquering humans -- are no more than modified great apes accordingly remains contested by, among others, creationists. Unlike other areas of scientific orthodoxy, which provoke no popular pushback, the theory of evolution is thus in a peculiar position, being rejected by a significant portion of society. By analyzing the historical context of the development of evolutionary thought both before and after Darwin, the course emphasizes the dynamic interplay between science and society.