Charles Darwin: Man with a Daring and Restless Mind

Known for setting forth a theory so controversial that people still debate and resist its concepts, the remarkable Charles Darwin has been taking heat for 150 years!

First published in 1859, Darwin’s Origin of the Species proposes that all life forms in present time originated from a few common ancestors, thereby explaining many of the fundamental commonalities among all living things. Most controversial, of course, is Darwin’s conclusion that given billions of years and millions of changes in life forms, whole new and complex organisms could become individual species – even us humans!

Wow! Was Darwin’s idea supported by others? Some say Darwin just had the lucky number in a lineage of over two thousand years of progress toward the concept of evolution; but he alone, after twenty years of his own careful collecting, studying, and analysis – and in the face of a highly skeptical world – put his theory of evolution out there for public scrutiny and open discourse. Thus, it is to Darwin we look when debates about evolution erupt in homes, schools, churches, and other institutions throughout society.

Without a doubt, the implications of Darwin’s big idea were (and still are) considered profound, not only for science, but also for philosophy, sociology, and psychology in equal proportions. Predictably and naturally, therefore, many people began (mis)using Darwin’s proposals to support their own outlying viewpoints, in particular ideas endorsing racist, atheistic, and aggressive philosophies not supported by divine law. And therein rests the problem.

Even so, subsequent discoveries have not diminished Darwin’s scientific position, most likely because his books are like “stepping stones to future knowledge,” rather than scripts of dogmatism meant to supersede religious faith.

And even though the debate will go on (and on and on), of interest to Thinkwriter at this time is the discovery of Darwin’s worldview.

To know Darwin’s worldview, let us recognize the common element in his recollections. Interestingly, as it turns out, each of his memories contains a piece of evidence, a relic, or a remnant of something that compels Darwin to know more. Darwin paid attention to artifacts – those “survival of the fittest” elements "remaining" in his recollection storehouse for a lifetime.

We will begin with memory #10 and then work our way backwards to the first memory. In memory #10, the relics are “excitement” and “trembling…hands.” “Deep mortification" is the artifact in memory #9, and in #8, it is a rush of power. In memory #7, the artifact is “astonishment;” in #6, it is “the horse with the man’s empty boots and carbine suspended to the saddle.” In memory #5, the relic is a felt sense of delight “at them declaring they had never seen a boy run so fast,” and in #4, it is “a hoard of [stolen] fruit.” In memory #3, the relic is “a monstrous fable;” and in #2, the artifacts are his mother’s death-bed, her black velvet gown, and her curiously constructed work-table.” And finally, in the first memory, what remains are “some events and places…with some little distinctions.”

Yes! Every one of Darwin’s earliest memories contains evidence of what was but no longer is. And in Darwin’s remembrance of what is remaining, he tries to make sense of what was before.

For example, in memory #10, Darwin recognizes his “excitement” and “trembling…hands” . . . each of which point back to “killing my first snipe” – an experience “so great” that “I had much difficulty in reloading my gun.”

In memory #9, “deep mortification” results when Darwin recalls his father saying to him, “You care for nothing but shooting, dogs, and rat-catching and you will be a disgrace to yourself and all your family.” Darwin notes his shame and also has difficulty reconciling the notion that “the kindest man I ever knew” would say “such words.” He deduces that his father must have been angry and “somewhat unjust….”

This memory is important, because “shooting, dogs, and rat-catching” is Darwin’s claim to fame! Darwin’s love of natural history begins with a passion for collecting and shooting that later becomes the passion of the theorizer.

In memory #8, the artifact is a sense of power. As a “very little boy,” Darwin recalls feeling a rush of power while beating a puppy. When a youngster first experiences his or her own power – that sense of domination over the weaker – it can be intoxicating, if even for a moment. If a child does not know the difference between right and wrong, or if he or she has no moral compass or even the genesis of a moral compass, the sensation of hurting another living creation produces no remorse whatsoever. In Darwin’s case, he labels his own conduct cruel and apparently holds on to the memory for a lifetime – perhaps to keep his power in check.

In memory #7, Darwin turns a simple fall into something extraordinary! While walking along a foot-path and then falling unexpectedly off the edge (as some would say his theory of evolution was guilty of doing!), Darwin observes that a number of thoughts pass through his mind rather quickly. Having so many thoughts in quick succession “astonishes” Darwin, because he knows physiologists have said each thought requires “quite an appreciable amount of time” to develop. Darwin’s fascination with his own finding suggests his reluctance to reframe his experience to match what was claimed by others. This is the mark of a true scientist – the willingness to be fascinated by the unexpected rather than to walk through life with prefabricated expectations.

In memory #6, the artifact is “the horse with the man’s empty boots and carbine suspended to the saddle.” Here we can see easily the artifacts of a soldier – his horse, boots, and saddle – stark evidence of what was but no longer is.

In memory #5, the artifact is a feeling of delight upon hearing “they had never seen a boy run so fast!” Here we have a kid looking for affirmation – even if it means having to steal apples. Not surprisingly, the trick is on Darwin when the boys and young men who receive the apples compliment Darwin’s running – not because of his fast running, but because they want all the apples. Although the compliment actually gets “stolen back” in the end, Darwin is not so much disappointed as he is delighted at being able to reflect on how good it feels when others compliment him.

In memory #4, the artifact is “a hoard of [stolen] fruit.” Here Darwin asks others to make sense of what is found. Again, in an apparent quest for attention, Darwin on the surface seems to be looking for the opportunity to be a hero – and thereby receive appreciation from his father or others. On a deeper level, he is acting out the process of solving a mystery about life when all one has in order to make the discovery is what is in front of him – in this case, a pile of fruit.

In memory #3, the artifact is “a monstrous fable.” Darwin recalls telling another boy that he could produce different colored flowers by watering them with different colored fluids. This memory seems prophetic when we consider the central argument of evolution versus creationism and/or intelligent design.

In memory #2, the artifact is his mother’s “death-bed, her black velvet gown, and her curiously constructed work-table.” Not unlike memory #6, this recollection references the artifacts of what was before. The death-bed is like the horse; the velvet gown is the boots, and the work-table is the rifle. Again, those things that survive us after death seem to be the “fittest” of our possessions – the things that say the most about us.

In memory #1, the artifact is “some events and places…with some little distinctions.” Even in memories, the things we hold on to are the “fittest,” the most important moments for us. Darwin doesn’t tell us precisely what his favorite “events and places with some little distinctions” are, but we know they are important to him, because he has kept them in his mind’s eye for a lifetime.

Throughout all Darwin’s earliest memories, artifacts compel him to know more – to look backwards – to reflect – to figure out – to wonder about himself and about what he saw, felt, and learned. It is said of Darwin that he had a “daring and restless mind,” and after discerning the evidence in his earliest recollections, we must surely concur.