Feb 12: Darwin Day

In a day where the Christian religion is setting itself in competition with science, secularism, and critical thinking, it behooves all Humanists, science-minded people, freethinkers, atheists, and all secular peoples on the planet to celebrate those humans in history who have made it possible to be outwardly skeptical. 
Today, February 12th is now celebrated as 
Darwin Day, in honor of Charles Darwin.

This man, Charles Darwin, struggled for most of his adult life with that which his senses could detect again and again and with the belief system that so shackled his mind, and the mind of the western world of that time. 
Charles Darwin endeavored to satisfy his voracious curiosity and questioning within the bounds of the religion of his upbringing, but found no satisfaction there. Concluding that species change, evolve, over time was something he could not ignore, despite the strong, stranglehold that the Christian churches had built in his mind. We have his amazing bravery and his intellectual integrity to thank for his theory of species evolution.

Along with other transformational thinkers of his time, Charles Darwin brought undeniable empirical proof of species change, making it clear that the understood, unquestionable cosmology of the time was incorrect. 
A supreme being had not created life complete, perfect, immutable. Rather, life is 
a dynamic, changing thing subject to natural selection. This incredibly significant change in our understanding of life on this planet opened the door for other freethinkers and scientists to ultimately disconnect from the dogma of the time, to adhere to the scientific method, and to endure whatever battles would be necessary to continue to question and quest and become more informed. We celebrate Darwin’s strength of character, great courage, wisdom, integrity, and the honesty required to explore and publish findings supporting natural selection.

Charles Darwin, the father of evolutionary biology, is one of my true intellectual heroes. I can relate to his voracious appetite for books, with his incredible hunger and thirst for knowledge, and with his noble and eventual journey away from the religion of his childhood because of these loves.


From the Darwinday.org website:

So much of what we know about our place in the universe rests on Charles Darwin’s questions and his courage in publishing answers. The importance of questioning cannot be understated. In fact, every new league travelled on the moral arc of justice rests on the contributions of questioners equally brave.

On Darwin’s birthday, let us find ourselves inspired to stretch our minds with questions that test our limits.

Let us champion the values of intellectual bravery, perpetual curiosity, and hunger for truth.

Let us honor scientific thinkers like Darwin not just in our laboratories, but in the practice of nurturing compassionate, egalitarian communities that value free inquiry.

Let us work to grow our understanding of the interconnectedness of all life, and expand our empathy and the reach of our compassion.

And, like Darwin himself, let us take daring risks for a freer, fairer, more joyful world.

By: Seráh Blain

In Memory of Harry Lonsdale

 Join me for just this moment as we celebrate 

on of the giants of critical thought!

You might also enjoy:
Books for Your Skeptical Children
The Eyes Have It
Anti-Intellectualism, Racism, and Complacency