David: at the same time the same events Carl Woese interview (Introduction)

by dhw, Thursday, May 19, 2016, 13:07 (2893 days ago) @ David Turell

dhw; And I do not think modern discoveries such as DNA, and indeed the whole science of genetics, have done anything to shake the theory of common descent, which most scientists including yourself now accept. Of course there is still a mountain of work to be done, but it is clear that even 150 years ago Darwin was fully aware that there were “many facets and influences in action only some of which we know about and understand.” -DAVID: You don't have to defend Darwin and common descent, each time complaints about Darwin come up. The rest of his theory is in tatters from my viewpoint.
-I get tired of one side claiming that Darwin explains everything, and the other that Darwin explains nothing. I like to distinguish between those aspects of the theory that I accept, and those that I reject.-dhw: You have often complained that Wallace has been unjustly neglected. As we already know from our earlier discussions, Darwin himself fully acknowledged Wallace's work.
DAVID: Wallace was neglected until recently by everyone, but never by Darwin, who used Wallace's observations, rejected his design theory, knew Wallace was about to publish, and finally rushed to print himself. All true history.-No dispute there. Nothing unusual about scientists using one another's research, so long as they acknowledge. Nothing reprehensible about rejecting a theory one disagrees with, or about rushing to print: that's competition for you.