Darwin at the Natural History Museum

We published a brief leader a few months ago anticipating and welcoming the Natural History Museum's exhibition on Charles Darwin. The exhibition marks the 200th anniversary of the great naturalist's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of the Species. And it's just opened.

I missed the press preview, but the museum very kindly allowed me to visit the exhibition out of hours. I agree with the review by Simon Barnes in the newspaper: it is "a marvellous exhibition, not least in that it is full of marvels". If you're in London between now and April, I strongly recommend you pay a visit. It isn't merely a collection of Darwin's finds. It is a clear and imaginative exposition of the reasoning by which Darwin gradually arrived at his theory of natural selection. It portrays Darwin's human side - his study and effects - as well as the fruits of his inquiries. There is also an unobtrusive but unfortunately necessary filmed exposition by scientists refuting the dreary misconception that evolution is "just a theory".

I assume that the exhibition will have scant effect on the views of biblical creationists: even 18 months ago they were defensively citing - of all people - the author of a book called The AIDS Mirage, who apparently charges the Natural History Museum with hagiography of Darwin. But I hope it will have an effect on the thinking of others who recognise the value of science but may not be conversant with the importance and applicability of natural selection. As Ernst Mayr wrote in his survey of The Growth of Biological Thought, 1982, p. 627:

"Nonbiologists who favor the evolutionary conceptualization are often unaware of Darwinian or neo-Darwinian theory and may, for instance, promote orthogenetic schemes, such as the theory that human culture automatically passes through a series of stages from that of the hunter-gatherer to that of the urban megalopolis. Teleological principles have been very popular among those who have used evolutionary language outside of biology, but when these teleological schemes were refuted, it was thought that this refuted the whole concept of evolution. A study of such literature demonstrates rather painfully that no one should make sweeping claims concerning evolution in fields outside the biological world without first becoming acquainted with the well-seasoned concepts of organic evolution...."

Well, this exhibition is a welcome and important venture in making those concepts more widely known. I wish it and the museum success.

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[Nick Cohen]

That story seems familiar. Is it your turn for lunch?

[Oliver Kamm]

Certainly is.

[Nick Cohen]

All right, but you the Times's expense account is going to be mighty if you want to take me AND FRANCIS to lunch. Shall we begin by saying 3 bottles of Mersault with the starter?