’Darwin year’ starts at Sabancı University
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Nisan 13, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Amid debates over Turkey's prominent science and technology institution refusing to publish an article about the theory of evolution, Istanbul’s Sabancı University is celebrating 200 years of Darwin through a series of lectures titled "Darwin and Beyond."
The university’s celebrations of the "Darwin Year" kicked off with a lecture by Daniel C. Dennett Ğ a Fletcher professor of philosophy at Tufts University, who spoke on evolution as "a strange inversion of reasoning" at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum on Friday.
Dennett, who appeared as the carbon copy of Darwin with his long white beard and prominent brow, drew emphasis on one of Darwin’s earliest critics, Robert Beverley Mackenzie. Mackenzie was outraged by Darwin’s theory of evolution and defined it as a strange inversion of reasoning. "The fundamental principle of the whole system, that, in order to make a perfect and beautiful machine, it is not requisite to know how to make it. This proposition will be found É to express in a few words all Mr. Darwin’s meaning; who, by a strange inversion of reasoning, seems to think Absolute Ignorance fully qualified to take the place of Absolute Wisdom in all the achievements of creative skill," Mackenzie said.
Interacting with audience
Dennett agreed that the theory is indeed "a strange inversion of reasoning," as he asked his audience to participate in a mock questionnaire asking: Do you know of any building that did not have a builder? If answered yes to any of the above please gives details."
Having got a good laugh out of his audience Dennet said that once the topsy-turvy perspective that the theory implies has been accepted, most of what we have believed about who we are survives intact. "We can still be in awe of the "Wisdom in all the achievements of creative skill" while attributing this wisdom not to a single Creator, but distributing it over billions of years in trillions of lineages of replicators, trying their luck in the great tournament of life, mindlessly discovering and rediscovering the brilliant design principles that constitute the diversity of life," Dennet said.
Dennet asked his audience how they would go about drawing a straight line. Once it was accepted that a straight edge would be needed for the process Dennet invited his audience to trace back the history of the straight edge, coming to the conclusion that it did not start as a straight edge but evolved over years until the straight edge was accomplished in its perfect form. Dennett’s audience was left with various examples of evolution to ponder after his engaging lecture.
The Darwin and Beyond lectures will continue in Istanbul until the end of May with lectures from many influential worldwide scientists and philosophers.
Program of ’Darwin and Beyond’
April 16-19
Darwin Now Exhibition by the British Council’s Ankara office / At Sabancı University, SGM, Orhanlı, Tuzla, Istanbul. / Opening: 1 p.m.
April 29
Professor Vidyanand Nanjundiah, Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore / Title: The Origin and Spread of Homo sapiens / At Sabancı University, MDBF G032, Orhanlı, Tuzla, Istanbul / Time: 2 p.m.
May 8
Professor Klaus Ammann University of Bern and Sabancı University / Title: Darwin and Beyond / At Sabancı University Communications Center, Karaköy, Istanbul / Time: 3:30 pm
May 25
Dr. Andrew Berry Harvard University and Sabancı University / Title: Happy Birthday Charles Darwin! A Celebration of Biology's Big Idea / At Sabancı University Communications Center, Karaköy, Istanbul /Time: 3:30 p.m.
May 25-31
Darwin Now Exhibition British Council, Ankara / At Sabancı University Communications Center, Karaköy, Istanbul / Opening: 5 p.m.
May 27
Dr. Andrew Berry Harvard University and Sabancı University /Title: What Darwin Didn't Know: Evolution after ’The Origin of Species’ / At Sabancı University, MDBF G032, Orhanlı, Tuzla, Istanbul / Time: 2 p.m.
Dennett, who appeared as the carbon copy of Darwin with his long white beard and prominent brow, drew emphasis on one of Darwin’s earliest critics, Robert Beverley Mackenzie. Mackenzie was outraged by Darwin’s theory of evolution and defined it as a strange inversion of reasoning. "The fundamental principle of the whole system, that, in order to make a perfect and beautiful machine, it is not requisite to know how to make it. This proposition will be found É to express in a few words all Mr. Darwin’s meaning; who, by a strange inversion of reasoning, seems to think Absolute Ignorance fully qualified to take the place of Absolute Wisdom in all the achievements of creative skill," Mackenzie said.
Interacting with audience
Dennett agreed that the theory is indeed "a strange inversion of reasoning," as he asked his audience to participate in a mock questionnaire asking: Do you know of any building that did not have a builder? If answered yes to any of the above please gives details."
Having got a good laugh out of his audience Dennet said that once the topsy-turvy perspective that the theory implies has been accepted, most of what we have believed about who we are survives intact. "We can still be in awe of the "Wisdom in all the achievements of creative skill" while attributing this wisdom not to a single Creator, but distributing it over billions of years in trillions of lineages of replicators, trying their luck in the great tournament of life, mindlessly discovering and rediscovering the brilliant design principles that constitute the diversity of life," Dennet said.
Dennet asked his audience how they would go about drawing a straight line. Once it was accepted that a straight edge would be needed for the process Dennet invited his audience to trace back the history of the straight edge, coming to the conclusion that it did not start as a straight edge but evolved over years until the straight edge was accomplished in its perfect form. Dennett’s audience was left with various examples of evolution to ponder after his engaging lecture.
The Darwin and Beyond lectures will continue in Istanbul until the end of May with lectures from many influential worldwide scientists and philosophers.
Program of ’Darwin and Beyond’
April 16-19
Darwin Now Exhibition by the British Council’s Ankara office / At Sabancı University, SGM, Orhanlı, Tuzla, Istanbul. / Opening: 1 p.m.
April 29
Professor Vidyanand Nanjundiah, Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore / Title: The Origin and Spread of Homo sapiens / At Sabancı University, MDBF G032, Orhanlı, Tuzla, Istanbul / Time: 2 p.m.
May 8
Professor Klaus Ammann University of Bern and Sabancı University / Title: Darwin and Beyond / At Sabancı University Communications Center, Karaköy, Istanbul / Time: 3:30 pm
May 25
Dr. Andrew Berry Harvard University and Sabancı University / Title: Happy Birthday Charles Darwin! A Celebration of Biology's Big Idea / At Sabancı University Communications Center, Karaköy, Istanbul /Time: 3:30 p.m.
May 25-31
Darwin Now Exhibition British Council, Ankara / At Sabancı University Communications Center, Karaköy, Istanbul / Opening: 5 p.m.
May 27
Dr. Andrew Berry Harvard University and Sabancı University /Title: What Darwin Didn't Know: Evolution after ’The Origin of Species’ / At Sabancı University, MDBF G032, Orhanlı, Tuzla, Istanbul / Time: 2 p.m.