phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

Changes

Posted by Henry on January 31, 2004

In Reply to: Changes posted by Ward Fredericks on January 31, 2004

: : : : : : BIOLOGICAL CHANGES OVER TIME -- ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- The state's school superintendent has proposed striking the word evolution from Georgia's science curriculum and replacing it with the phrase "biological changes over time."

: : : : : : Everything reminds me of a song. This reminds me of "The Sidestep" by Carol Hall as sung by the govenor (Charles Durning) in "Best Little Wh*rehouse in Texas" : ".Ooh I love to dance a little sidestep."

: : : : Does the school superintendent know of any changes that DON'T take place over time?

: : : That is a very good point.

: : It's been interesting to watch the biological changes over time in my children. They definitely consider that they constitute a more intelligent form of life. The unfortunate thing, of course, is that they are probably right.

: ::: The power of words is never more evident than when we talk about evolution. It's interesting that the theory was, of course, revolutionary when Darwin proposed it, and he used the term 'decent with modification' to describe the process. Evolution was a term applied to the process later on, and I don't believe he ever used that word to describe the process. Darwin's writings on the topic were extraordinarily well supported with examples and evidence, and he knew the powderkeg he was lighting. To think that now, in the 2000s, with all the examples of bacterial evolution to overcome the effects of antibiotics and other evidence we have, that this would still be so emotional an issue. We humans certainly change slowly.

Darwin would not have published his book but for the work of Alfred Wallace, who established the Wallace Line through the Indonesian archipelago. I understand that several of the popular terms were those used by Wallace.

Darwin; My work is now nearly finished; but as it will take me many more years to complete it, and as my health is far from strong, I have been urged to publish this abstract. I have more especially been induced to do this, as Mr. Wallace, who is now studying the natural history of the Malay Archipelago, has arrived at almost exactly the same general conclusions that I have on the origin of species.

© 1997 – 2024 Phrases.org.uk. All rights reserved.