Perfect Book Titles: The Origin of Species and the Descent of Man

Author Charles Darwin (1809-1882) was a British naturalist and geologist famous for what we remember as his pronouncement "Man was descended from the apes" in his 1859 book The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. But having read his book, in tiny print I might add, and having finished it and The Descent of Man this morning, I could not find those words or that phrase in their combined 924 pages.

From Wikipedia: ",,, best known for his contributions to evolutionary theory. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors, and in a joint publication with Alfred Russel Wallace introduced his scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection, in which the struggle for existence has a similar effect to the artificial selection involved in selective breeding."

 
Essentially Darwin, thru his precise observations of plants, animals and tribes, and citing other works as well, overcame the then-current scientific concept of "transmutation" to refer to species who have undergone biological changes through hybridization. The scientists of the time had to invent terms to describe their theories, and after Origins publication and severe debates, evolution was coined. The scientific community and much of the general public had accepted this new term by 1870. Today, in modified form, a broad consensus has developed in which natural selection was recognized as the basic mechanism of evolution.

<sup>Reading the books, it's readily apparent that Darwin is chiefly the consummate observer, recorder and synthesizer of these theories during his time. Whereas Origin is 374 pages with 12 page Glossary, Descent is written in three discrete parts for a total of 534 pages and supplemental notes, at least in my undated copy. I admit its somewhat tedious reading, yet every page brings a new discovery or insight, or more importantly, the basis for later insight and conviction.

Descent of Man is much more influential than Origin in describing man. Darwin notes all the similarities man has to animals, even to the downy hair on some women, vestiges of much thicker coverings. He describes mating and birth and the senses of man and compares them closely to all mammals. Finally he writes, "...it has come to pass that man and all other vertebrate animals have been constructed on the same general model...." 

He goes on to state an important fact myself and most religionists would agree on, from as early as the story of Adam and Eve's creation: "If we consider all the races of man as forming a single species, his range is enormous." Up thru his time their existed four distinct human races: red, white, yellow and black (and variations and multiple names for the same).

So Descent of Man is definitely the better book to read regarding man's evolution and conditions. But I digress from my main point, "Did Darwin say we humans descended from apes?" Well, no, I don't think so. What he wrote on page 895 of Descent was, "Man, as I have attempted to shew, is certainly descended from some ape-like creature." Which, makes much more sense as we now know, having findings of pre-Neanderthal, Neanderthal and Cro-magnon Man.

More to the point, I and millions of Baha'is and others, for example, maintain that although Man at one time certainly was an "ape-like creature," his uniqueness, his heritage and destiny, is much more than that of any animal, either now or in the dim past.

Best, Rod

Copyright Rodney Richards 2014</sup>

 If you're new to my blog, just visit Amazon to read about my bipolar memoir, Episodes, and find my bio on the back cover, here
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rodney+richards+episodes

 

Receiving Something for "Nothing"

We receive much more than we can ever give back, "for nothing."

In our apartment with mom and brother Stephen, the big pot of tapioca pudding on the stove, once chilled was my favorite dessert - free. The school lunches mom use to make - all free. The clothes I had to wear, all free. Everything growing up "free" until age 15 when I sold magazines door-to-door all over Central Jersey, and then the things I bought - only for myself - meant much more. 

An hour ago, 5:48 am at the squawk box at the new Dunkin Donuts just a mile from my house, I said, "Good morning my friend," replying to her sweet voice asking for my order. "Oh, good morning to you ... please pull up." And I knew, that she knew, my order by heart -- and it's such a good feeling being known by just the sound of my voice.

I pull up holding out my DD card, and she holds out my medium half-decaf, half-regular ... but doesn't take my card. "That's free, for you, my customer," she says. And of course I say "Oh no, Oh thanks so much!" and pull away saying aloud, "You've got to be kidding. How nice!"

Many things are free and go unappreciated, then there's the things we appreciate. 

This is not the first free thing she's given me! And completely unasked. Yesterday, for Sunday School when I ordered 50 munchkins for the kids, my girlfriend asked, "You? Why munchkins?" And I told her and she said, "How nice, that'll be half price." So I left the 5 dollars as part tip too. And again I couldn't believe how nice that was.

And now I had yet another reason for liking my Egyptian-American friends at this Dunkin, and others, even more.

And I think of other things we get "for free," like my Catholic grammar school, Ewing High, and even my California junior college education -- for free. In those years never realizing at all it was my parents property taxes paying for it all, and the property taxes of thousands of other homeowners. And I shudder now as an adult to wonder how my parents paid for that, and food, and clothing, and Christmas and birthday presents, and everything I and my brothers and sister, and themselves, had need of.

And now, paying property taxes for schools, and sales taxes for social programs, and gasoline taxes for highways and others, I see that everything that exists for me, for my family's ease and comfort was mostly paid for by others, by society, and can't help but think, At least I can do my part also. 

At least in my old State employment days, walking Trenton streets back from lunch, I didn't begrudge the beggar a dollar or two, or fail to pick trash up off the sidewalk in front of my next step to throw in a nearby trash can. Or how Janet and I pay attention to the political issues and those running for office and vote in every election. And thank God we could afford to send our kids to college for their degrees, and so much else.

Free? Earning goodwill, and peace and security in Hamilton where I live and in America in the world, is not free. All it takes is all of us doing our part, being nice to all others, caring a little bit or a lot, and helping where we can.  Not difficult.

As JFK once spoke, "... and so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." 

You go John, go.

Sorry, that's my pontification for today ....
Best, Rod

Copyright 2014 Rodney Richarfds

Series Part III: World Government, World Parliament, World Unity

My friend Rich and I attended a writing workshop in Maine hosted by the new social discourse website, BahaiTeachings.org, and they've accepted my articles and posted them since. Here's the third on how to get to a peaceful world, individually and collectively.

Just click on this link (or cut and paste), or visit bahaiteachings.org yourself for tons of surprising social topics:

http://bahaiteachings.org/world-government-world-parliament-world-unity

Let me know what you think by commenting below or on the actual website . . . 
Best
Rod 

If you're new to my blog, just visit Amazon to read about my bipolar memoir, Episodes, and find my bio on the back cover, 
here
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rodney+richards+episodes

Part II: Prospect of an Ideal Government

A friend attended a writing workshop in Maine hosted by the new social discourse website, BahaiTeachings.org. And they've accepted my articles and posted them since. Here's the second on how to get to a peaceful world, individually and collectively.

Just click on this link (or cut and paste), or visit bahaiteachings.org yourself:

http://bahaiteachings.org/the-prospect-of-an-ideal-government

Let me know what you think by commenting below or on the actual website . . . 
Best
Rod 

If you're new to my blog, just visit Amazon to read about my bipolar memoir, Episodes, and find my bio on the back cover, 
here
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rodney+richards+episodes

Shared series on World Gov't, finding self, Part I

In May of this year myself and a friend attended a writing workshop hosted by the new social discourse website, BahaiTeachings.org. And they've accepted my articles and posted them since. Here's the first one on how to get to a peaceful world, individually and collectively.

Just click on this link (or cut and paste), or visit bahaiteachings.org yourself:

http://bahaiteachings.org/global-change-for-the-next-generation-a-bahai-vision-for-the-future

Let me know what you think by commenting below or on the actual website . . . 
Best
Rod 

If you're new to my blog, just visit Amazon to read about my bipolar memoir, Episodes, and find my bio on the back cover, 
here
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rodney+richards+episodes