In spite of his seminal contribution to understanding critical aspects of genesis and diversity of life on earth, Darwin’s theories have been mired in unending controversies and disapprobation.
In 1925, six decades after Darwin first proposed his theory of evolution; John T. Scopes a young school Biology teacher was prosecuted for teaching Darwinism and faced a trial in the American state of Tennessee. The trial famously called ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’, held the young teacher guilty of instructing his students that our species descended from monkeys, in denial of biblical story of ‘creation of man by god’.
In 2023, that discomfort is still steadfastly anchored in our education system, with the ‘think tank of Indian school education’ deciding to uproot the philosophy of one of the most celebrated man of Science from its textbooks, on the pretext of being student-friendly!
That Darwin is accused of pitting science and religion against each other, and the storm over Darwinism not still settled, and criticism of Darwin’s thoughts seems contagious; the debate and dispute is just not about legitimacy of teaching evolution, but what is acutely worrying is that the underlying socio-political and intellectual values are at stake!
While the ‘common thread of opposition’ to Darwin then and today is but of course the threat to the established doctrine of God, his supremacy and power to create and manage life de novo; and faiths across the world fear this atheism. All the more when the political entities invest in religious creed as a prime capital to hold on to power, faith becomes a convenient instrument of political coalescence and obedience.
Interestingly with Papal declaration while the church reconciled that the theories of evolution and the Big Bang are real and God is not ‘a magician with a magic wand’; opposition to Darwin from right-wing politics across the globe is immense and incessant. The mix of religious conservatism, religious nationalism and low scientific literacy is a complete antithesis to the spirit of scientific enquiry and objectivity that the ‘new India’ must strive to infuse in our students, while protecting their cultural ethos.
In our country, religion need not feel threatened with science; rather we consciously need to foster the synergy between these apparently immiscible domains of faith and verification. Bharat needs to teach its young population to balance their faith with reasoning.
The NCERT does not sound very convincing that deletion of ‘Darwin’s Theory of Evolution’ from their IXth and Xth standard school text books was prompted by a decision to ‘reduce burden’ on learners post pandemic. Ironically, the very reason that SARS-CoV-2 virus kept mutating and resurging waves of the Covid were unleashed has its basis in Darwinian theories of evolution.
In fact, Charles Darwin and his theories can never be a ‘burden’ to any student of biology; for the most rigorous scientific enquiry, collection and collation of live and fossil evidences across the globe and a brilliant synthesis of painstakingly gathered data crystallizing into a theory explaining origins of life from ‘simple to complex’ was this man’s contribution to rationalism.
Young Darwin was always drawn to nature and outdoors. His chance interning on board HMS Beagle voyage could well have been a stroke of serendipity for the global fraternity of biologists!
Going by several narratives and his own confessional diary notings, Darwin did not initially seem very confident of his own inferences on origins of life. That his ideas were radical and set to shake the very foundations of faith and the tenacious grip of the church on the stance of creation was a major setback to recognition of his scientific brilliance.
It is only 20 years after he had formulated his theory that he finally chose to seek peer validation, by which time British scientist Alfred Wallace had independently proposed a very similar theory. Victorian gentlemen that both Wallace and Darwin were, they agreed to publish their findings jointly.
So much to learn from these dignified men of science for our ‘Academic Performance Index (API) hungry souls’ in contemporary Indian academics; whose desperation to ascend the ladder of career progression by publishing plagiarized or raw data and hurriedly cobbled crap in predatory journals is a complete antithesis to rigor and patience of peer-validated research.
Notwithstanding his diffidence due to anticipated resistance from the church, his ideas that life evolved and was not created as if by magic out of nothing by the creator; were construed to be blasphemous and against the teachings of the church. No wonder then, that Darwin became an enemy of the powerful church.
Coming back to NCERT, which justified deleting Darwin from its school curriculum by taking a pro-student stance of lessening burden is nothing short of dull-wittedness and a pusillanimous decision exposing their lack of grit and certitude to stand their grounds resisting political interference, or refusing to partake in political sycophancy.
Ironically today in India, we witness a flagrant cult of peddling folklore and fables as ancient Indian science, and we have the politically inclined high and the mighty men and women of Indian science using dais of events as respectable as ‘Indian Science Congress’ to speak blatantly about Ravana’s prowess in aviation, Stem Cell Technology as the secret behind the hundred Kauravas and how Vishnu Purana precedes Darwinism in explaining evolution of life through avatars. One quixotic politician has even said that “politicians are the refined end product of evolution!”
Refuting a well established and validated scientific theory just because of its western origins, cannot be at the cost of demolishing the rational fabric of our students in their formative years of schooling. You surely can’t delete Darwin for a fugacious political advantage.
