Second speaker on Evolution - Bipin Parikh ( Shroff).
Let us understand the basic tenets of evolution. The evolution of the all living organism including the animals and human being is not a special creation of God. It's a very long and random but gradual process. Darwin's theory of evolution is based on the principal of natural selection. All living organism has common descent. It means all living species have originated from the one cell. He also explained biological relation of the specie with other genetically. He explained that there are genetically linkages among each other species. His theory of evolution paved the way for the search of DNA. Actually DNA is the heart of evolution.
Darwin's theory of evolution gave moral boost to the secular way of life. Our human life has material existence; no spiritual or Godly purpose. Secondly our life is not predestined. AS people got confidence that there is no religious purpose of human life, they started to find out solution of all worldly problems by human efforts. This theory helped the man to regenerate faith in him. It has put the man in the centre of universe.
It has abolished all wrong beliefs regarding the origin of the man. It has proved beyond doubt that all men are equal by birth. The apparent differences of caste, creed, colour, nations etc are holding no truth.
Thus the man is not the special creation of God for any special divine purpose. He published another book namely "The descent of man" in the year 1871. He explained in details how the man as the biological specie developed intelligent superiority in relation to other animals in this book.
Darwin found out the independent biological origin of the concept of morality. The man lived with other fellow human beings peacefully and cooperatively not to please God but to please himself. The man became moral (to live cooperatively with other fellow human beings) out of his basic urge to exist. This is the secular source of human morality. All social, political and economic institutions are the creation of the man's need of morality. AS the man secular moral needs changes he creates new institutions to satisfy his changed needs. Thus according Darwin's theory evolution what is permanent is the man's biological urge to exist not this or that institution. The institution may be created, changed or destroyed according to the moral -rational needs of the man. He had provided the basic ground for the humanist revolution of thought.
What is social Darwinism? The concept social Darwinism is not the creation of Darwin's theory of evolution. Actually Darwin has specifically explained in his theory of evolution that "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change." The concept survival of the fittest does not mean that only the physically strongest survives in his biological struggle of existence but who fits himself with the change. The social Darwinism concept allows rule of jungle not moral –rational cooperative way human living. We as the humanist cannot endorse that concept of Social Darwinism.
From the chair Indukumar Jani ( Editior Naya Marg fortnightly.)
I congratulate the organizer of the seminar for selecting very important subjects of the seminar. Generally we discuss currents topics like communal problems, fascism, Nazism etc. But our nation is passing through a great crisis. Now the committed mob decides what things should be kept in one's house or retail shops etc. There is no rule of law in the nation. This is the crisis of collapsing of the Indian state. It is an ideological as well as real crisis. So there is importance this seminar. Our human values mentioned in the banner of the institution namely Freedom, Rationality and secular morality are beacon of light for us. I am absolutely hopeful that through discussion on the topics of seminar and action on their conclusion will definitely guide us against the falling Indian State.
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