“There are many generalizations in biology, but precious few theories,” wrote
François Jacob [62], who shared the Nobel Prize for discovering how the tran-
scription of genes is regulated. He continued, “Among these, the theory of
evolution is by far the most important.” Theodosius Dobzhansky [38], one of
the greatest contributors to evolutionary science, went further: “Nothing in
biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” But biologists are not
alone in proclaiming the profound importance of evolution. Andrew Dick-
son White, historian, diplomat, and co-founder of Cornell University, wrote in
1896, “Whatever additional factors may be added to natural selection—and
Darwin admitted that there might be others—the theory of an evolution pro-
cess in the formation of the universe and of animated nature is established,
and the old theory of direct creation is gone forever. In place of it science has
given us conceptions far more noble, and opened the way to an argument
from design infinitely more beautiful than any ever developed by theology”
[117]. Philosophers are drawn to evolution as to an intellectual feast; Daniel
Dennett, who has grappled with the meaning and implications of conscious-
ness, notes that “the Darwinian revolution is both a scientific and a philosophi-
cal revolution” [35]. He goes on: “If I were to give an award for the single best
idea anyone has ever had, I’d give it to Darwin, ahead of Newton and Einstein
and everyone else. In a single stroke, the idea of evolution by natural selec-
tion unifies the realm of life, meaning, and purpose with the realm of space
and time, cause and effect, mechanism and physical law.”The Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), the world’s largest eagle, is critically
endangered. Only about 600 remain in the wild, because deforestation has eliminated
most of its habitat. It is one of countless species that are endangered, or are already
extinct, because of human impacts. Humans have transformed Earth’s environments,
and have become a major force of evolutionary and ecological change.Evolution
Evolution and Society
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