The year is 2009. It is 200 years after Charles Darwin’s birth and a 150 years after the first publication of his probably most influential book: “On The Origin Of Species” (1859). So what more incentive could I ever need to finally read this book, that had been lurking in my “to read” stack on the far side of my desk?
It turned out, that the tiny little thing I did additionally need to take this masterpiece in and digest its contents, was readability. And readability was, as I found out, problematic to say the least.
Okay, so Charles did actually plan to write another book with the material he had collected and jotted down in his many notes, but for some reason he had to bring an excerpt of this projected publication into the world on a shorter than expected notice. So “the Origin” is not a book as it was intended, but a sized down version of the real thing. Just like Machiavelli’s “Il Principe” is such an excerpt of his “Discorsi sopra la prima deca di Tito Livio” (Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livy), as some of us – perhaps inaccurately – like to state.
The age of the book and the possible haste with which Darwin wrote it, accumulated, for a spoilt reader like me, into a difficultly readable text. Its style is flamboyant, outdated and diplomatic beyond contemporary taste. So, I must admit, after some struggle and pain, I put the book down and pondered my options.
Lucky me. I had another book sitting in the same stack on the same side of my desk, called “Darwin’s Gift to Society and Religion” (2007) by Fransisco Ayala. This book is not a 150 but 1,5 years old, it is written by someone who is a crack in presenting scientific knowledge, and who obviously had the peace of mind to write down what he intended, not hastened by external factors like an upcoming, life threatening disease for instance. The result is a very readable, nicely digestible book, well suited to sit on the night table, ready to pick up for a late reading session before falling asleep.
The objective of the book is to show how Darwin’s Evolution is not in conflict with any religious notion as to how life on this planet came about. Well, after reading Dawkins and Harris, it is not my primary concern to reconcile religion and Evolution, but it is maybe a usable alternative to the sometimes harsh and unforgiving tone that is set by these two, who seem specifically bent on eradicating faith. And with good reason if you ask me.
Ayala on the other hand, gives us a nice little lecture on Evolution. How did it work again? It is a small rehearsal of what we already know, but it is snugly put together in a concise description of the role of Mutations in this wonderful process of Evolution, governed by the principle of Natural Selection. After reading Darwin’s Gift, one knows how these three different factors conglomerate to eventually form life, and how it changes it again.
In the mean time, Ayala skilfully demolishes the arguments for Intelligent Design (Creationism in a new jacket). But that is a bonus, useful for these cringing, toe curling discussions with the faithful. One can also read Dawkins for that purpose, but he is heavy firepower. Ayala is friendly and nice. That also counts.
