REL 201 - Darwin and Design

Course Units: 1

(TBD: Wegter McNelly) “A bird’s wings are designed for the purpose of flying.” Is this a scientific statement? Is it testable? Is it true (in any sense)? For thousands of years humans have looked at the natural world and perceived evidence of design and telos (purpose). The scientific theory of biological evolution, most famously associated with Charles Darwin, undercut this tradition by providing a testable (and subsequently well-validated) non-telic explanation of biological complexity. This course examines the history of the concept of organismal design in Western thought, Darwin’s pivotal place in that history, and the subsequent development of the idea up to the present day, including the recent controversy surround the so-called “theory of intelligent design.” CC: HUM, WAC