Theoretical origin of life: more ruminations (Introduction)

by dhw, Thursday, December 17, 2015, 19:09 (3264 days ago) @ David Turell

We have reached agreement on the fact that the theory of common descent does not depend on theories concerning the origin of life and the evolutionary mechanism, and I think (hope) you agree that those theists and atheists who try to conflate the whole theory of evolution with that of abiogenesis are guilty of gross distortion. You have, however, raised an interesting question concerning Darwin's own attitude:
 
dhw: But we have had this discussion before, and I thought you had agreed to avoid such blatant misrepresentation. Back we go: 
DARWIN: “There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one.”-DAVID: It depends upon which edition you see. I've read it is in some and not others. Why?-It had always shocked me (and still does) that atheists blatantly ignore all Darwin's references to the Creator, and it was George Jelliss who informed me that these were absent from the first edition, which no doubt some editors still prefer. (The Rev. Charles Kingsley's ringing endorsement of the theory was presumably also absent, as I expect this would have been a response to the book rather than a privileged early insight into Darwin's thinking.) We can only speculate, but my guess would be that Darwin was shocked by the hostile reaction from the religious community on the grounds that his theory undermined the Bible. They interpreted this as an attack on religion itself, which it was never meant to be. Hence the additions and the explicit reassurances that he was NOT attacking religion. Why else would he have made such insertions and statements? His theory IS compatible with religious belief. That is why I rail against those from both sides of the fence who deliberately distort the theory to serve their own agenda. Maybe his private writings would tell us more, but I don't have time to delve.