Darwin’s Tea Party Evolution, Genetics and Human Nature prepared for Humanities 345-101-MQ “Darwin’s Tea Party” Dawson College Fall 2019 by Gabriel Tordjman contents 1. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 About Darwin’s “Dangerous Idea” .................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Overview of the book ......................................................................................................................... 3 1.3. What is Biological Knowledge?........................................................................................................ 6 1.4 Darwin’s Tea Party Website ............................................................................................................. 7 2. BACKGROUND AND HISTORY (2.5 mya-1859) ................................................................ 8 2.1. Prehistoric Biological Knowledge in the Paleolithic Era ............................................................... 8 2.1.1 Cultural Evolution and Human Uniqueness ............................................................................. 9 2.1.2 Physical Knowledge in the Paleolithic Era ............................................................................ 12 2.1.3 Biological Knowledge in the Paleolithic Era ......................................................................... 14 2.1.4 Hunter-gatherer Society ......................................................................................................... 17 2.1.5 Summary of Prehistoric Biological Knowledge in the Paleolithic era .................................. 19 2.1.6 Questions on Prehistoric Biological Knowledge in the Paleolithic era .................................. 20 2.2 Biological Knowledge in the Neolithic Era: The Agricultural (or Neolithic) Revolution .......... 21 2.2.1 What was the Agricultural Revolution? ................................................................................. 21 2.2.2. Consequences of the Agricultural Revolution on Human Society ........................................ 23 2.2.3. Consequences of Agricultural Revolution on the Environment ............................................ 25 2.2.4. The Birth of Civilization and the End of Prehistory .............................................................. 27 2.2.5 Biological and Cultural Evolution (again) ............................................................................. 28 2.2.5 Questions to Prehistoric Biological Knowledge in the Neolithic Era .................................... 29 2.2.6 Prehistoric Biological Knowledge Puzzle .............................................................................. 30 2.3. Biological Knowledge and Ancient Civilizations .......................................................................... 31 2.4 Ancient Greek Civilization .............................................................................................................. 34 2.4.1 Background: Geography and Culture ..................................................................................... 34 2.4.2. A New Chapter in the Development of Knowledge: The Invention of Philosophy .............. 34 2.4.3. Ancient Greek Physical Knowledge: The Atomic Theory .................................................... 36 2.4.4. The Philosophy of Materialism ............................................................................................. 36 2.4.5 Ancient Greek Biological Knowledge: Aristotle ................................................................... 37 2.4.6 Aristotle’s Critique of Materialism ....................................................................................... 37 2.4.7 Aristotle’s “Three Souls Concept” ......................................................................................... 38 2.4.8 Aristotle’s Classification of Life ............................................................................................ 39 2.4.9. Aristotle, Men, Women and Slaves ....................................................................................... 42 2.4.10 Philosophy: Accurate Explanation of Reality or Excuse for Social Inequality? .................. 43 2.4.11 The End of the Ancient Period ............................................................................................. 44 2.4.12 Ancient Biological Knowledge Puzzle................................................................................. 46 2.4.13 Questions to Ancient Biological Knowledge ....................................................................... 47 2.5 Religion, Science and Philosophy in The Middle Ages ................................................................. 48 2.5.1. Revealed Theology and Natural Theology ............................................................................ 48 2.5.2 Humanity’s Central Place in the Cosmos According to the Geocentric Theory .................... 49 2.5.3 The Great Chain of Being ...................................................................................................... 51 2.5.4 The Great Chain and Medieval Society ................................................................................. 53 2.5.5 Medieval Biological Knowledge Puzzle ................................................................................ 56 2.5.6 Study Questions to Medieval Biological Knowledge ............................................................ 57 2.6. The Modern Period and the Birth of Science (1450-1650) .......................................................... 58 2.6.1 Birth of the Modern Period (1450-1650) ............................................................................... 58 2.6.2. Francis Bacon and Induction ................................................................................................. 58 2.6.3 The Revival of Mechanism: The Universe as a Machine (1650-1850) .................................. 61 2.6.4. Triumph of the Heliocentric Theory and the Scientific Revolution ...................................... 62 2.6.5 The Philosophical Impact of the Scientific Revolution .......................................................... 64 2.6.6 The Birth of the Scientific Community .................................................................................. 65 2.6.7 What is Science? .................................................................................................................... 66 2.6.8 The Scientific Revolution Puzzle ........................................................................................... 68 2.6.9 Study Questions to the Modern Period and the Scientific Revolution ................................... 69 ii 3. DARWIN AND EVOLUTIONARY THEORY (1859-1885) ... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.1. Introduction ......................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.2. Natural Selection ................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.2.1 Geometrical Population increase. ........................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.2.2 Variation. ............................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.3 Deep Time. ............................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.4. Some Common Problems in Understanding Evolution by Natural Selection.... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.5. Arguments for Evolution .................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.5.1. Deductive and Inductive Arguments for Evolution in Darwin’s Origin .... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.5.2. The Inductive Arguments for Evolution: Facts Supporting Premises of Natural Selection ........................................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.5.3 Geological Evidence of Changes to the Earth ........................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.5.3 Fossil Evidence ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.5.4. Embryology ........................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.5.6 Homologous Parts .................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.5.7 Vestigial Parts ........................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.5.8. Geographical Distribution of Species ................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.5.9 Other Inductive Evidence for Evolution ................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.5.10 Critique of the Fossil Evidence for Evolution ...................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.5.11 Problems with the Inductive Evidence for Evolution ........... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.6 Summary of Chapter 3 ........................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.7 Biological Evolution Puzzle ................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.8. Study and Discussion Questions to Chapter 3 .................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. 4. EVOLUTION AND SOCIETY 1: EVOLUTION AND RELIGION (1859-1925) ...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 4.1 Introduction