Happy belated Darwin's birthday!

[sqbr]

I couldn't think of anything to say to celebrate Darwin's birthday(*) when it happened. But better late than never, a vid which illustrates with educational clarity where we stand in the evolutionary chain:

Unnatural Selection: Battlestar Galactica, Terminator

(*)That's the scientist, not the city. Which makes me wonder when Perth's birthday is...

Comments

[ataxi.livejournal.com]

I think on Darwin's anniversary it would be nice to remember the abolitionist, antiracist subtext in Darwin's work. Darwin came from a family of vehement anti-slavery activists and in his work, the science met neatly with the ethics to dismiss the thuggery of racial essentialism.

Go Darwin.

[alias_sqbr]

Sure, go ahead and make my "explosions and killer robots" post look shallow why don't you :)

I thought he got a bit racial (or was it gender?) essentialist himself in his work on humans? Or am I misremembering? Of course that still leaves plenty of room for being better than the norm of the day.

[ataxi.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I believe he was a little bit dodgy here and there, but his central points were covertly informed by his strong personal belief in abolishing slavery. I'm at work and can't find / cite the article I recently read on this topic, so ...

[ataxi.livejournal.com]

The article was a review of a new book on Darwin by two previous biographers, revisiting his intellectual legacy in light of the anti-slavery links in his family, his readings and correspondences etc. Called Darwin's Sacred Cause. Still can't remember which bloody article though -- perhaps it was in the ABR or something.

[alias_sqbr]

That sounds interesting (in an "I probably wouldn't bother actually reading it myself" sort of way :))

[penchaft.livejournal.com]

12th of June, sez Wikipedia.

Discovery Channel had a really neat ad for Darwin Month. I'm so sad it's not on YT.

[alias_sqbr]

I will so totally forget by then :)

YT?

[penchaft.livejournal.com]

yootoob

[penchaft.livejournal.com]

I dreamed that you were part of a group trying to get LJ to give chronic fatigue sufferers an extra icon so you could have a CFS icon and all your other ones.

[alias_sqbr]

CFS sufferers are not known for much active lobbying, we don't have the energy :)

[ataxi.livejournal.com]

I think on Darwin's anniversary it would be nice to remember the abolitionist, antiracist subtext in Darwin's work. Darwin came from a family of vehement anti-slavery activists and in his work, the science met neatly with the ethics to dismiss the thuggery of racial essentialism.

Go Darwin.

[alias_sqbr]

Sure, go ahead and make my "explosions and killer robots" post look shallow why don't you :)

I thought he got a bit racial (or was it gender?) essentialist himself in his work on humans? Or am I misremembering? Of course that still leaves plenty of room for being better than the norm of the day.

[ataxi.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I believe he was a little bit dodgy here and there, but his central points were covertly informed by his strong personal belief in abolishing slavery. I'm at work and can't find / cite the article I recently read on this topic, so ...

[ataxi.livejournal.com]

The article was a review of a new book on Darwin by two previous biographers, revisiting his intellectual legacy in light of the anti-slavery links in his family, his readings and correspondences etc. Called Darwin's Sacred Cause. Still can't remember which bloody article though -- perhaps it was in the ABR or something.

[alias_sqbr]

That sounds interesting (in an "I probably wouldn't bother actually reading it myself" sort of way :))

[penchaft.livejournal.com]

12th of June, sez Wikipedia.

Discovery Channel had a really neat ad for Darwin Month. I'm so sad it's not on YT.

[alias_sqbr]

I will so totally forget by then :)

YT?

[penchaft.livejournal.com]

yootoob

[penchaft.livejournal.com]

I dreamed that you were part of a group trying to get LJ to give chronic fatigue sufferers an extra icon so you could have a CFS icon and all your other ones.

[alias_sqbr]

CFS sufferers are not known for much active lobbying, we don't have the energy :)