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Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution

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148: 31: 177:, Dobzhansky asks whether God was joking when he created different species for different environments. This diversity becomes reasonable and understandable, however, if Creation takes place not by the whim of the Creator "but by evolution propelled by natural selection." He further illustrates this diversity from his own investigation of the widely diverse range of species of 616: 143:
As he had said in his earlier presidential address, "If the living world has not arisen from common ancestors by means of an evolutionary process, then the fundamental unity of living things is a hoax and their diversity is a joke." These two themes of the unity of living things and the diversity of
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One response to this paper was a paper by Stephen Dilley, "Nothing in biology makes sense except in light of theology?". This argued that Dobzhansky's arguments all "hinge upon sectarian claims about God’s nature, actions, purposes, or duties"—claims that in Dilley's view required more justification
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had shown to be similar in a wide range of species, including monkeys, tuna, kangaroos, and yeast. This unity is further illustrated by the similarity of the embryos of different species. Either God deliberately arranged things "to mislead sincere seekers of truth" or these similarities are the
254:(Evolution) general condition to which all theories, all hypotheses, all systems must bow and which they must satisfy henceforward if they are to be thinkable and true. Evolution is a light which illuminates all facts, a curve that all lines must follow. (p. 219 of 128:. Dobzhansky asserts that "it is ludicrous to mistake the Bible and the Koran for primers of natural science. They treat of matters even more important: the meaning of man and his relations to God." He then criticizes the early English antievolutionist 224:
in the United States. The fact that evolution occurs explains the interrelatedness of the various facts of biology, and so makes biology make sense. The concept has become firmly established as a unifying idea in biology education.
185:. Either the Creator, "in a fit of absent mindedness," created many species of fruit flies in Hawaii, or the fruit flies that arrived on the islands, diversified to fill a wide range of vacant ecological niches. 617:
Context: 1. An Objective Observer Would Know that ID and Teaching About "Gaps" and "Problems" in Evolutionary Theory are Creationist, Religious Strategies that Evolved from Earlier Forms of Creationism
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Dobzhansky concludes that scripture and science are two different things: "It is a blunder to mistake the Holy Scriptures for elementary textbooks of astronomy, geology, biology, and anthropology."
665: 221: 660: 612: 391: 537: 80:, "Biology, Molecular and Organismic", to assert the importance of organismic biology in response to the challenge of the rising field of 655: 17: 77: 493:
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
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The phrase "nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution" has come into common use by those opposing
241: 147: 89: 630: 132:—who had proposed that fossils were created in the places where they were found—for blasphemously implying that 334: 244:, whom Dobzhansky much admired. In the last paragraph of the article, Dobzhansky quotes from de Chardin's 1955 69: 35: 57: 50: 387: 329: 276: 246: 76:
Dobzhansky first used the title statement, in a slight variation, in a 1964 presidential address to the
53: 446:. The phrase appears on page 449 as "nothing makes sense in biology except in the light of evolution, 650: 432: 271: 217: 529: 30: 416: 359: 351: 282: 267: 193: 152: 129: 64: 491:
Dilley, Stephen (December 2013). "Nothing in biology makes sense except in light of theology?".
508: 424: 81: 562: 558: 500: 406: 343: 296: 291: 197: 644: 464: 460: 363: 93: 287: 189: 170: 113: 332:(March 1973), "Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution", 504: 263: 117: 109: 60: 178: 157: 34:
Mosaic medallion in the floor of the main hall of the Jordan Hall of Science,
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Medieval theology urged men to think of human life in the light of eternity—
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He illustrates the unity of living things using the molecular sequence of
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The notion of the "light of evolution" came originally from the
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Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution
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Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution
591:. The Educational Resources Information Center. Archived from 290:, and those who consider a creator to be unnecessary, such as 133: 121: 216:
The underlying theme of the essay is the need to teach
565:. Access Excellence at the National Health Museum 666:Works originally published in American magazines 563:"BioForum 11/9/97: Scott: Evolution and Biology" 469:, New York: Harper & Brothers, p. 152, 382: 380: 324: 322: 320: 318: 316: 314: 312: 8: 589:Teaching Evolution in School Science Classes 144:life provide central themes for his essay. 222:creation and evolution in public education 410: 613:Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District 274:are compatible, a position described as 308: 524: 522: 538:National Center for Science Education 534:Cans and Can'ts of Teaching Evolution 7: 208:and appeared mutually incompatible. 104:Dobzhansky opens with a critique of 392:"Biology, Molecular and Organismic" 151:Dobzhansky used the example of the 84:. The term "light of evolution"—or 67:. The essay was first published in 27:1973 essay by Theodosius Dobzhansky 369:Zetterberg, J. Peter, ed. (1983), 25: 475:: I am attempting to rethink it 116:, for holding a belief based on 661:Evolutionary biology literature 220:in the context of debate about 373:, Phoenix, Arizona: ORYX Press 78:American Society of Zoologists 1: 637:, Vol. 35, No. 3 (Mar., 1973) 161:fruit flies (blue arrows) on 635:The American Biology Teacher 371:Evolution versus Creationism 505:10.1016/j.shpsc.2013.06.006 479:—in the light of evolution. 682: 242:Pierre Teilhard de Chardin 92:and then by the biologist 90:Pierre Teilhard de Chardin 106:Shaikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz 335:American Biology Teacher 300:just three years later. 70:American Biology Teacher 36:University of Notre Dame 583:David L. Haury (1996). 473:sub specie aeternitatis 656:Evolution and religion 477:sub specie evolutionis 448:sub specie evolutionis 388:Dobzhansky, Theodosius 330:Dobzhansky, Theodosius 266:or its variant called 166: 86:sub specie evolutionis 51:evolutionary biologist 38: 277:evolutionary creation 256:The Phenomenon of Man 247:The Phenomenon of Man 201:result of evolution. 150: 54:Theodosius Dobzhansky 33: 561:(November 8, 1997). 272:evolutionary biology 218:biological evolution 212:The underlying theme 124:revolves around the 585:"CSMEE Digest 96-4" 540:. February 13, 2001 466:Evolution in Action 412:10.1093/icb/4.4.443 108:, who later became 399:American Zoologist 283:theistic evolution 268:intelligent design 194:Emanuel Margoliash 167: 153:adaptive radiation 130:Philip Henry Gosse 65:theistic evolution 39: 171:diversity of life 82:molecular biology 16:(Redirected from 673: 633:as published by 619: 610: 604: 603: 601: 600: 580: 574: 573: 571: 570: 559:Eugenie C. Scott 555: 549: 548: 546: 545: 526: 517: 516: 499:(4/B): 774–786. 488: 482: 481: 457: 451: 445: 444: 443: 437: 431:, archived from 414: 396: 384: 375: 374: 366: 326: 297:The Selfish Gene 21: 681: 680: 676: 675: 674: 672: 671: 670: 641: 640: 627: 622: 611: 607: 598: 596: 582: 581: 577: 568: 566: 557: 556: 552: 543: 541: 530:"NCSE Resource" 528: 527: 520: 490: 489: 485: 459: 458: 454: 441: 439: 435: 394: 386: 385: 378: 368: 367:; reprinted in 348:10.2307/4444260 328: 327: 310: 306: 292:Richard Dawkins 231: 214: 198:Walter M. Fitch 169:Addressing the 102: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 679: 677: 669: 668: 663: 658: 653: 643: 642: 639: 638: 626: 625:External links 623: 621: 620: 605: 575: 550: 518: 483: 461:Huxley, Julian 452: 405:(4): 443–452, 376: 342:(3): 125–129, 307: 305: 302: 294:who published 260: 259: 230: 227: 213: 210: 101: 98: 63:and espousing 58:anti-evolution 56:, criticising 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 678: 667: 664: 662: 659: 657: 654: 652: 649: 648: 646: 636: 632: 629: 628: 624: 618: 614: 609: 606: 595:on 2007-09-23 594: 590: 586: 579: 576: 564: 560: 554: 551: 539: 535: 531: 525: 523: 519: 514: 510: 506: 502: 498: 494: 487: 484: 480: 478: 474: 468: 467: 462: 456: 453: 449: 438:on 2016-03-03 434: 430: 426: 422: 418: 413: 408: 404: 400: 393: 389: 383: 381: 377: 372: 365: 361: 357: 353: 349: 345: 341: 337: 336: 331: 325: 323: 321: 319: 317: 315: 313: 309: 303: 301: 299: 298: 293: 289: 285: 284: 279: 278: 273: 269: 265: 257: 253: 252: 251: 249: 248: 243: 239: 236: 228: 226: 223: 219: 211: 209: 205: 202: 199: 195: 191: 186: 184: 180: 176: 172: 164: 160: 159: 154: 149: 145: 141: 139: 135: 131: 127: 123: 119: 115: 111: 107: 99: 97: 95: 94:Julian Huxley 91: 87: 83: 79: 74: 72: 71: 66: 62: 59: 55: 52: 48: 44: 37: 32: 19: 634: 608: 597:. Retrieved 593:the original 588: 578: 567:. Retrieved 553: 542:. Retrieved 533: 496: 492: 486: 476: 472: 470: 465: 455: 447: 440:, retrieved 433:the original 402: 398: 390:(Nov 1964), 370: 339: 333: 295: 288:anthropology 281: 275: 261: 255: 245: 232: 215: 206: 203: 190:cytochrome C 187: 168: 156: 142: 114:Saudi Arabia 103: 85: 75: 68: 45:" is a 1973 42: 40: 651:1973 essays 264:creationism 179:fruit flies 110:Grand Mufti 61:creationism 645:Categories 599:2007-12-13 569:2007-12-13 544:2007-12-13 442:2009-04-24 304:References 229:The phrase 158:Drosophila 364:207358177 138:deceitful 120:that the 118:scripture 73:in 1973. 513:23890740 463:(1953), 429:14223586 235:vitalist 192:, which 100:Overview 421:3881145 356:4444260 240:priest 49:by the 511:  427:  419:  362:  354:  238:Jesuit 183:Hawaii 163:Hawaii 436:(PDF) 417:JSTOR 395:(PDF) 360:S2CID 352:JSTOR 175:Earth 126:Earth 47:essay 509:PMID 425:PMID 196:and 631:PDF 501:doi 407:doi 344:doi 280:or 181:in 173:on 155:of 136:is 134:God 122:Sun 112:of 647:: 615:– 587:. 536:. 532:. 521:^ 507:. 497:44 495:. 450:." 423:, 415:, 401:, 397:, 379:^ 358:, 350:, 340:35 338:, 311:^ 250:: 140:. 96:. 602:. 572:. 547:. 515:. 503:: 409:: 403:4 346:: 258:) 165:. 41:" 20:)

Index

Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution

University of Notre Dame
essay
evolutionary biologist
Theodosius Dobzhansky
anti-evolution
creationism
theistic evolution
American Biology Teacher
American Society of Zoologists
molecular biology
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Julian Huxley
Shaikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz
Grand Mufti
Saudi Arabia
scripture
Sun
Earth
Philip Henry Gosse
God
deceitful

adaptive radiation
Drosophila
Hawaii
diversity of life
Earth
fruit flies

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