Every profound thinker is more afraid of being understood than of being misunderstood.
This is a curious fact because the vast majority of people in the world actually have a very limited amount of direct experience the basis and techniques of science. Of course, selected ideas and attitudes do filter in through acquaintance with practical applications of technology, but familiarity with the operation of technological devices does not entail any understanding of the principles behind the technology. In the modern era, the scientific theory that has had the greatest cultural presence and influence beyond all others is the idea of evolution through natural selection posed by Charles Robert Darwin. This course has been designed to provide you with a conceptual acquaintance with the theory of evolution and natural selection and the scientific and cultural context from which the theory emerged. The course explore changes in the modern era in the conception of the human, especially as reflected by the myriad discourses on evolutionary theory, religion and the ultimate role and fate of human beings.