Susan Jacoby, the Author of The Age of American Unreason, in an article published yesterday on the Washinton Post and Newsweek website, explains why Darwin is recognized as a "scientific giant."
She writes: "Darwin's conclusions about the origins and evolution of human--and all--life continue to trouble and challenge members of the human species in the 21st century. This lasting "disturber effect" is, I would argue, one of the most convincing proofs of Darwin's genius. People don't get all riled up, 150 years after the fact, by bland, small, discredited ideas."
One of the points that Jacoby emphasizes is that Darwin's legacy is part of an ongoing process of placing human beings within, rather than outside of, the natural order.
"The idea that the human brain--that marvelous product of both nature and nurture--does not exist independently of our material body is just as disturbing to many people today as Darwin's conclusions about the origin of species were to people 150 years ago.
"And not only religious believers want to make an exception for the human mind. 'People say natural selection is O.K. for human bodies but not for brain or [human] behavior,' says Helena Cronin, a philosopher of science at the London School of Economics. 'But making an exception for one species is to deny Darwin's tenet of understanding all living things.'
"Even in a secular age, many of us prefer to think of our prized brains, which have placed us at the top of the food chain above larger, stronger predators, as organs with special qualities of spirituality, understanding and analysis ... " Read Jacoby's article here. Highly recommended!