Thursday, September 12, 2013

Darwin Quotes

I don't personally like bumper sticker wars.  Some put an ichthys on their bumper, then others put a response, then others put a response to that response.  I personally find it all petty and missing the majesty and indescribable awe of an all powerful, omniscient, immanent, transcendent, holy and Righteous God.

But, all of that notwithstanding, the next time you see one of these:




...let it remind you of a couple of quotes.  These are excerpted from Darwin's book "The Descent Of Man" chapter 6:


“With savages, the weak in body or mind are soon eliminated; and those that survive commonly exhibit a vigorous state of health. We civilised men, on the other hand, do our utmost to check the process of elimination; we build asylums for the imbecile, the maimed, and the sick; we institute poor-laws; and our medical men exert their utmost skill to save the life of every one to the last moment. There is reason to believe that vaccination has preserved thousands, who from a weak constitution would formerly have succumbed to small-pox. Thus the weak members of civilised societies propagate their kind. No one who has attended to the breeding of domestic animals will doubt that this must be highly injurious to the race of man. It is surprising how soon a want of care, or care wrongly directed, leads to the degeneration of a domestic race; but excepting in the case of man himself, hardly any one is so ignorant as to allow his worst animals to breed. The aid which we feel impelled to give to the helpless is mainly an incidental result of the instinct of sympathy, which was originally acquired as part of the social instincts, but subsequently rendered, in the manner previously indicated, more tender and more widely diffused. Nor could we check our sympathy, even at the urging of hard reason, without deterioration in the noblest part of our nature. The surgeon may harden himself whilst performing an operation, for he knows that he is acting for the good of his patient; but if we were intentionally to neglect the weak and helpless, it could only be for a contingent benefit, with an overwhelming present evil. We must therefore bear the undoubtedly bad effects of the weak surviving and propagating their kind; but there appears to be at least one check in steady action, namely that the weaker and inferior members of society do not marry so freely as the sound; and this check might be indefinitely increased by the weak in body or mind refraining from marriage, though this is more to be hoped for than expected."
And also from the same chapter:
“At some future period, not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilised races of man will almost certainly exterminate, and replace, the savage races throughout the world. At the same time the anthropomorphous apes, as Professor Schaaffhausen has remarked (18. ‘Anthropological Review,’ April 1867, p. 236.), will no doubt be exterminated. The break between man and his nearest allies will then be wider, for it will intervene between man in a more civilised state, as we may hope, even than the Caucasian, and some ape as low as a baboon, instead of as now between the negro or Australian and the gorilla.” 

Such quotes demand a defense by those who cling to his theories.  They are weak, and they are here.


6 comments:

Susan said...

Don't believe I've ever seen a bumper sticker like that, but then I don't pay a lot of attention to bumper stickers. If I see one now I will at least be aware.

Never read any of his "garbage" before.

Danny Wright said...

I see them more and more. They are becoming quite common I think. My guess is that most of the people who sport these little fishes have never read any of his garbage either.

Stan said...

They've been around a long time -- since the '90's. They are evidence of irrational hate.

True, Darwin (and Hitler and Mengele and Margaret Sanger, etc.) was in favor of eliminating "inferiors" as a "greater good" without providing any basis for how they determine "greater good". But pointing out the truth of such things likely isn't going to move Darwinists ... or any other anti-theists.

Danny Wright said...

Your comment, Stan, reminds me of the modern theology of humanism as sung by Blood, Sweat and Tears: "I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell."

Darwin gave Humanists great hope in there being no heaven, but reminding them that their Messiah scientist was at the core evil must certainly give them chills... don't you think?

Nancy said...

Oh My Goodness...It's one thing to read a bit about Darwin and yet another to see his actual thoughts in print....

This leaves one wondering, which was of more interest/concern to Darwin anyway??? "The Descent of Man" or "the ascent of the ape"???

In this excerpt, it seems the ape has the advantage...at least it might be silent and appear somewhat intelligent! And, left to their own devices...might the two simply pass one another like two ships in the night and find they have changed places....Hmmmm...*; )

Danny Wright said...

Good to hear from you Nancy, sorry it took me so long to post your comment. My bad.