Practice4<br/>CharlesDarwindidn’twanttomurderGod,asheonceputit.Buthedid.Hedidn’twanttodefyhisfellowCantabrigians,hisgentlemanlyVictoriansociety,hisdevoutwife.Buthedid.Hewaited20yearstopublishhistheoryofnaturalselection,but—fittingly,afteranotherscientistthreatenedtobefirst—hedid.<br/><alone></alone>BeforeDarwin,mostpeopleacceptedsomeversionofbiblicalcreation.Humanswereseenastheapotheosisofgodlyarchitecture.Humanscouldthusbeanaccidentofnaturalselection,notadirectproductofGod.Worriesabouthowmuchhistheorywouldshakesocietyexacerbatedthestrangeillnesseshesuffered.It’salsoworthnotingthatDarwin’slifewasn’tDarwinian:heachievedhiswealththroughinheritance,notcompetition,andsomemightsayhissicklychildrensufferedbecausetheywereinbred.<br/><alone></alone>Darwin’stheoriesstillprovokeopposition.OnehundredandfortyyearsafterTheOriginofSpecies,backersofcreationismhavemadeacomebackinstateslikeKansas,pushingevolutionoutoftheschoolroom.YetDarwinismremainsoneofthemostsuccessfulscientifictheorieseverpromulgated.Thereishardlyanelementofhumanity—notcapitalism,notgenderrelations,certainlynotbiology—thatcanbefullyunderstoodwithoutitshelp.