Darwinism

{{evolution}}
{{cquote|["Darwinism" and "Darwinist"] suggest a false narrowness to the field of modern evolutionary biology, as though it was the brainchild of a single person 150 years ago, rather than a vast, complex and evolving subject to which many other great figures have contributed|||Olivia Judson, evolutionary biologist<ref>Judson, Olivia "[http://judson.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/lets-get-rid-of-darwinism/?ref=opinion Lets Get Rid of Darwinism]" ''New York Times'' [opinion] (July 15, 2008)</ref>}}

The word '''Darwinism''' is shorthand for [[evolution]] by [[natural selection]], named after [[Charles Darwin]], the scientist who first developed, popularised, and gathered evidence for the [[theory]]. The nuances of its use, however, are dependent on who is using the term. Within [[biology]], it is synonymous with natural selection,<ref group=note>The use of "Darwinism" in this context is to contrast Darwin's model of evolution with other models, such as [[Lamarckism]] or [[Lysenkoism]].</ref> but within creationism, it is more of a [[snarl word]].

==For creationists==
{{main|Evolutionism}}
To [[creationist]]s and [[intelligent design]] [[cdesign proponentsists|proponents]], Darwinism is a derogatory phrase used to describe [[evolution]]. By retitling natural selection as "Darwinism", creationists seek to reduce the theory to the level of any other "ism", and thus no more worthy of teaching than ''creation''ism. See the evolutionism article for more.

==For biologists==
{{cquote|I'm not a "Darwinist". Biologists aren't Darwinist. {{wpl|Kenneth R. Miller|Ken Miller}} isn't a "Darwinist". {{wpl|Eugenie Scott}} is not a "Darwinist" either. We've moved on from Darwin, who was like 150 years ago. We're dealing with more modern with evolutionary science to be clear.|||{{wpl|S. Joshua Swamidass}} <ref>[https://youtu.be/MVQGQz-0Xeo?t=2104 Exposing Discovery Institute Part 3: Michael Behe] (35:04)</ref>}}

To most biologists, notably [[Richard Dawkins]] for example, Darwinism is simply a synonym for evolution by natural selection.<ref>[http://www.richarddawkins.net/ Richarddawkins.net] See front page</ref> This contrasts it against [[Lamarckism]], which is a competing (but completely discredited) mechanism for evolution — and Dawkins often refers to natural selection as "Darwinian". Various other permutations of the term bump around the Internet and blogs. '''Darwinist''' is used to describe a vocal proponent of evolution, while '''Neo-Darwinism''' differentiates currently accepted theories about evolution with some of Darwin's original ideas that have turned out to be incorrect. Neo-Darwinism is generally used to refer to the "[[Modern Evolutionary Synthesis]]" of Darwinian evolution and Mendelian genetics. Neo-Darwinism is sometimes contrasted with newer schools of thought such as "[[evolutionary developmental biology]] (evo-devo)," which seeks to incorporate more findings from molecular genetics and developmental biology into the evolutionary paradigm.

==Problems with the term==
The main problem with this term is that [[science]] is about [[evidence]] and not [[personality cult]]s, so naming a branch of science directly after its inventor or discoverer is a dubious practice at best. While great contributors to a field of study are respected, they are not worshipped and revered like [[guru]]s or [[saint]]s.

It is interesting to note how this mentality of describing Darwin as the supposed "worshiped father of evolution" reflects the creationists' need for a worshiped father figure to be the head of everything. It is like calling anyone who accepts [[gravity]] exists "[[Newton]]ists" or those who accept [[relativity]] "[[Einstein]]ians" or "Galileans" as if the way that the [[universe]] works is a world view, passed down and declared from on high. Although [[Charles Darwin]] is a seminal figure in the modern [[theory of evolution]], and his contribution is certainly recognized, there have been over 150 years of advancements since his initial publication of ''[[The Origin of Species]]'' — the study of [[evolution]] has expanded well beyond Darwin's original works and the ideas he outlined, namely that evolution can now be described in terms of [[DNA]], something that Darwin was unaware of.

While it is certainly true that the "isms" which are based on people's names (such as [[Margaret Thatcher|Thatcherism]], [[Marxism]], and [[Confucianism]]) obviously base their thoughts largely or entirely on the writings or thoughts of those individuals, the same cannot be said of "Darwinism". Therefore, to think that a modern [[Evolutionary biology|evolutionary biologist]] would hang on every word Darwin said as unchangeable [[gospel]] is certainly a parody of science that has no basis in reality.

==See also==
* [[Cdesign proponentsists]]
* [[Evolutionism]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

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[[Category:Evolution]]
[[Category:Creationism]]

Categories: Evolution, Creationism