On this date, June 30, in the year 1860, “The Great Debate” took place in Oxford, England. It was the first popularized creationism v evolution debate…and it wasn’t even meant to be one. It was supposed to be a scientific meeting and opening for the new university museum. In attendance were scientists and other academics, clergymen, statesmen, and socialites. Nearly 500 people were present.
Just 7 months prior, Darwin published The Origin of Species, and the idea of natural selection was still fresh. There were strong opinions about the new theory, priming the event for heated conflict. Tension grew thick as the day went on. At the end, two heavyweights took the floor…
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Boxing announcer’s voice:
In the creationism corner, all the way from South London and now a bishop of the Church of England, weighing in at 1 society, “Soapy” Saaaaaaaaaam Wilberforce!!!
In the evolution corner, all the wayfrom West London and now scientist at several institutions, weighing in at 4 societies, “Darwin’s Bulldog,” Thomas Henry Huxleeeeeeeeeey!!!
Ding! Ding!
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It was not a clean fight. Or at least it didn’t end well. Natural selection was the star of the show, and Wilberforce decided he had heard enough. He ended the academic part of the debate when he shot this barb at Huxley:
“I wonder, Mr. Huxley, is it though your grandfather or your grandmother that you claim descent from an ape?”
Huxley calmly stood up and gave his retort,
“If then the question is put to me, would I rather have a miserable ape for a grandfather or a man, highly intelligent and possessed of great means of influence and yet who employs these faculties and that influence for the purpose of introducing ridicule into a grave scientific discussion, I unhesitatingly affirm my preference for the ape!
Gasps were issued. Pearls were clutched. Lady Brewster fainted as the meeting broke down into chaos. Admiral Fitzroy, the very same man who as a captain chose Darwin to accompany him on the HMS Beagle decades ago, stood up with Bible in hand and started shouting at the crowd, “THIS! Believe in THIS! Believe in GOD, not man!”
Questions:
- Do you like or dislike creationism v evolution debates? Why?
- What’s your opinion on Wilberforce’s question, “is it though your grandfather or your grandmother that you claim descent from an ape?”
- We often paint the picture as religion in a mortal fight with evolutionary theory, but of course we also know that this only applies to a subset of religious belief. So, what is really in such strong opposition to evolutionary theory if it isn’t religion in a general sense?
- Bonus: What did Admiral Fitzroy contribute to the event, and does his style remind you of anyone you know?
A dramatization from the documentary, Evolution: Darwin’s Dangerous Idea. The opening scenes are with Darwin and his wife, and later Richard Owen, then the head of Anatomy at Oxford. It gives a little background that led up to the debate which starts at 2:17.
Approved ~ FS
bonk
Article URL : https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/great-debate