News: LAU discussions explore Darwin's theory of evolution.
Ye Old One
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=109167
BEIRUT: Exactly 150 years after the publication of Charles Darwin’s
groundbreaking book, “On the Origin of Species,” the Lebanese American
University of Beirut (AUB) hosted a three-hour discussion to examine
Darwin’s evolutionary theory and its social, religious, and
philosophical implications, on Tuesday, November 24.
Published on November 24, 1859, “On the Origin of Species” presents
the theory that species slowly evolve over hundreds of thousands of
years through a process of natural selection. The theory was quickly
adopted by the scientific community but was presented at odds with the
dominant religious concept of creationism.
The discussion was organized by LAU associate professor of
Communications professor Ramez Maluf, and included presentations by
professor Kamal Badr, the founding dean of LAU’s Gilbert and
Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, as well as LAU’S associate
professor of History Habib Malik, and Instructor of Natural Sciences,
Mohammad al-Zein.
“I don’t know of any other book in the history of science that has had
such an impact on the way we look at ourselves,” said Maluf.
Badr presented an overview of evolution, describing it as an
“excellent tool” that has helped scientists in the medical field
discover biological facts, but noted that on a philosophical level,
the theory may pose more questions than answers.
“Evolution is really a story of how we came about – it tells us a lot
about how our species arrived to where it is,” Badr said. “Its limits,
however … is that by learning how we came about, we do not have any
clear idea of why.”
Malik, while emphasizing his firm religious beliefs, presented a
30-minute speech to argue that evolution and faith are not
incompatible despite widespread notion to the contrary.
He blamed “progressive secular liberals” on one side, and “traditional
religious conservatives of the marginal variety” on the other, for
creating and propagating the idea that faith and evolution clash.
“This entire debate for the vast majority of Christian believers is
much ado about nothing,” Malik said. “Darwin did nothing less than
uncover how life develops over time – what a marvelous and colossal
achievement.”
Zein’s presentation focused on the influence of Darwin’s theory in
19th century Beirut. He recanted the story of the “Lewis Affair” in
1882 at the American University in Beirut, then known as the Syrian
Protestant College, involving Ray Lewis, a popular American professor
of chemistry and geology at the school.
During a graduation speech Lewis was asked to give at the university
that year, he identified Darwin as being among four “ideal men of
science,” which caused an uproar among faculty who scoffed at the very
mention of Darwin, bringing Lewis to resign over his statement.
“This generated the first student revolution in the Arab world,” Zein
said, describing student support for the professor. “They went on
strike and decided not to go back to class until Lewis came back.”
Despite Maluf’s insistence that he “did not want to make this a
discussion on God,” by the end of the three presentations, Maluf, an
atheist, and Malik had a friendly debate over the question of faith
and evolution, much to the joy of the audience. – The Daily Star
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Bob.