Darwin Now is an international programme of projects and events run by the British Council to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his seminal work ’On the Origin of Species’. Darwin Now celebrates the lasting impact that Darwin’s ideas about evolution, and his approach to the understanding of natural selection, have had on all of our lives today.
The British Council's Darwin Now programme takes Darwin's work, his life and theories and brings them to life to new audiences in 43 countries. It comprises a year long programme of activity involving a dedicated web campaign and a mobile exhibition that will visit 43 countries around the world during 2009, a youth summit involving 60 students from around the world to be held at the Natural History Museum between 2 and 4 July, the British Science Festival in Guildford between 5 and 10 September, a Darwin seminar at the National Science Learning Centre in York between 25 and 30 October and celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the publication of ‘On the Origin of Species’ on 24 November.
Darwin Now culminates in the “Alexandrina Conference” a three day international conference on evolution and society attended by academics, science communicators and media, which will be held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt between 14 and 16th November.
Darwin Now objectives
Darwin Now will look at the impact of Darwin’s ideas of evolution on contemporary biology, medicine and society. Through its international programme of activity, the British Council is seeking to engage new audiences, to make evolution relevant to their lives and to encourage involvement and debate. In particular, Darwin Now aims to engage young people from around the world and provide an opportunity to explore the ideas that lie at the heart of evolutionary theory in an unprejudiced and open way.
The British Council’s role
The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations, and it builds engagement and trust through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people around the world.
Charles Darwin represents an excellent example of the UK's contribution to scientific thought, and stands as an exemplar of the application of scientific method – careful observation supported by painstakingly collected evidence in support of his theories – together with extensive collaboration with correspondents from around the world.
‘Darwin Now’ will include outreach work and exhibitions in schools and further education colleges, plus web-based work, including an interactive website with supporting workshops. The campaign is expected to run in up to 50 countries worldwide, including the regions of Europe, North Africa, East Asia, America and Latin America. The year long programme will provide the opportunity for respectful and responsible dialogue in relation to the sometimes complex social and cultural issues central to Darwinism and the role that science plays in society today.
Darwin Now programme themes
Darwin Now is organised around two principle themes: “Challenging Controversy” and “Evolution for All”.
Evolution for All aims to bring a deeper understanding of the science behind evolution, as well as the issues surrounding it, to people all over the world. The Challenging Controversy theme questions the negative assumption that evolution must create a divide between scientific and religious communities.
Evolution for All:
Many people have only a vague appreciation of his ideas and little understanding of the relevance of his ideas to today's world. Many see it as a fusty academic debate about fossils; others have misappropriated it to support their own social or political views. For some, it’s just not true or wholly incompatible with their religious beliefs. Through the Evolution for All theme, the British Council is seeking to bring Darwin’s ideas to a broad international audience, to clear up the misconceptions surrounding his theories of evolution and to show how they are relevant today. It is also seeking to underline the process of the scientific method (as opposed to beliefs).
Challenging Controversy:
On its publication, Darwin’s theory of evolution challenged the view of some Western Christians that man had been created by God, and was distinct from the other animals in the natural world. Even today, the recognition that man is distinct from the natural world, part of it, and subject to the same evolutionary pressures, is still controversial. For example, many have no problem accommodating deeply held religious beliefs with evolution, seeing natural selection as the mechanism chosen by God to enact his vision of the world. Some others think that evolution is incompatible with their religious beliefs particularly amongst those who believe that the world was created literally as described in a holy book such as the Bible or Qu’ran. At the other extreme, some see no need to invoke the intervention of God to explain the variety of life on earth.
Challenging Controversy aims to question the perceived dichotomy between a belief in God and evolution, by examining the attitude of different faiths to the theory of evolution. It aims to show that conflict between science and religion is not inevitable: many scientists hold religious beliefs and many with deeply held religious beliefs are comfortable with evolution. Science is evidence-based, whilst religion is a belief and faith-based.
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