Speaker clarifies Darwin's record with facts and jokes
Rachel Goff
Issue date: 4/22/09 Section: News
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Whye is a Bye-Fellow at Christ's College at the University of Cambridge, and founder and director of The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. He has written four books about Darwin, and his visit to the College marked an installment in his 10-city tour of the United States celebrating the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth.
Humor permeated Whye's presentation, as he included many little-known facts about the famous historical figure. He began with a brief history of Darwin's life, stating that his father was "incredibly fat" and providing the unfortunate fact that his mother "looked exactly like him." Darwin started out studying medicine, but according to Whye, had to switch courses because "he couldn't stand the sight of blood." Instead, he took his mother's recommendation to join the clergy, with the impression "that he would only have to work one day a week," Whye joked.
One of the first myths Whye addressed was the significance of Darwin's observations on the Galápagos Islands. Contrary to popular belief, "the point of the voyage of the Beagle," Whye said, "was not to carry Charles Darwin to the Galápagos, or to carry Charles Darwin anywhere for that matter. It was to make maps."
Once again challenging public perception, Whye explained that Darwin did not have a "eureka moment" on the Galápagos Islands.
According to Whye, he did not even realize the implications of his discovery until much later, once he combined his observations with those he made in a number of additional locations.
"Darwin's theory of evolution," Whye said, "is based on more than just the sexy Galápagos example" that has been publicized and romanticized. Laughing, he explained that while on the island, Darwin didn't notice the discrepancies in the finches' beaks. "He didn't even know what finches were," Whye said.
One of the biggest myths surrounding Darwin is that of "Darwin's delay," or the reason why Darwin waited so long after writing The Origin of the Species to then publish it. Many historians attribute this delay either to the fact that Darwin was afraid of what other people would think about his radically different ideas, or that he wanted to keep them a secret.
Whye, however, explained that there is no evidence to support these hypotheses. In fact, much evidence exists to the contrary. As Darwin specifically stated in his book, he discussed his theory of evolution with many other scientists prior to publishing his book.
Whye exposed the lack of substance behind many other modern-day theories explaining events or decisions in Darwin's life, going so far as to refer to some of them as "complete nonsense." His analyses of these ridiculous explanations portrayed Darwin as a sort of modern-day celebrity who is constantly gossiped about in the tabloids.
Darwin may have "solved the greatest puzzle of nature," Whye said, but "there are still plenty of mysteries to solve about Charles Darwin."
He encouraged students interested in history to read secondary literature about important figures and events "and then go back and check it."
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