Darwin’s Dangerous Idea – a book review

“Darwin’s Dangerous Idea” by Daniel C. Dennett is a fantastic book but definitely not for the faint of heart. The book is almost 600 pages long and written in a style that requires college-level analysis to understand. My review can hardly do it justice but hopefully it might encourage you to check it out of the library for a couple of weeks of interesting reading.

Dennett, a foremost philosopher of our time and professor of Cognitive Studies at Tufts University in Massachusetts, says, “Charles Darwin’s fundamental idea [expressed in “Origin of the Species” in 1859] has inspired intense reactions ranging from ferocious condemnation to ecstatic allegiance, sometimes tantamount to religious zeal…. Almost no one is indifferent to Darwin, and no one should be…. Darwin’s dangerous idea cuts much deeper into the fabric of our most fundamental beliefs than many of its sophisticated apologists have yet admitted, even to themselves.” He goes on further to state, “The fundamental core of contemporary Darwinism…is now beyond dispute among scientists. It demonstrates its power every day, contributing crucially to the explanation of planet-sized facts of geology… down to the latest microscopic facts of genetic engineering. It unifies all of biology and the history of our planet into a single grand story.”

I will have to get my own copy of this book because there were so many good quotes that I wanted to underline or highlight but I thought the library might take a dim view of such actions. Dennett takes the time to carefully explain what Darwin’s theory is and what it is not. He chastises those who have tried to “defend” the theory by packaging it in more palatable form and creating a new, non-defensible theory when the original was just fine. In fact, Dennett believes that all the attacks on Darwin’s theory has simply made it hardier, more robust.

In the process of explaining Darwinism, Dennett describes how it covers so many more areas than just biology. Language, culture, “memes”, and even mathematics are explained through natural selection as well. What we’re left with is a richer appreciation for nature and the “tree of life” than we might have had with the mythical explanations that have come to us through religion.

Religion is treated respectfully by Dennett. However, he classes religion with wild and dangerous animals. Kept in a zoo cage or on a preserve, the lion should be allowed to live so that future generations can appreciate the animal. But we cannot tolerate saving the animal in his natural habitat “at any cost” which may entail the death of humans or loss of other, more valuable opportunities. Likewise, religion (if it behaves itself) can be valuable for study and observation. But it cannot be allowed to exist in its wild state where human rights are made secondary to dogma, where human sacrifice or murder is condoned or even encouraged. Even those who, under the guise of religion, misinform children about the truths of evolution, should be condemned as much as would someone who advocated teaching that the earth is flat. The future of our world depends on our children being taught reality as it has been discovered.

Dennett ends the book by claiming that Darwinism can best be described as the Beast in the story Beauty and the Beast. While having a form that appears dangerous and frightening, Darwin’s dangerous idea is really a powerful defender of the truths and values we cherish. Excellent but challenging book.