Lady Hope (1842 – 1922) in 1915 published a claim that Charles
Darwin (1809 – 1882) on his death bed had recanted his views on
evolution and God. This story published thirty-three years after
Darwin’s death was strongly denied by his family but has made
the rounds of various creationist publications and web sites to
this day. Now my question is: Why would anyone care? It may be
of interest to historians but nothing Darwin wrote, said, or did
has any consequences for evolution today. The theory itself and
the evidence supporting it have moved far beyond Darwin. But
this story does serve to highlight the different role of
individuals in science as compared to religion or even
philosophy. I have always considered it strange that philosophy
places such importance on reading the works of long dead
people—Aristotle, Descartes, etc. In science, Newton’s ideas
trumped those of both Aristotle and Descartes, yet very few
scientists today read Newton’s works. His ideas have been taken,
clarified, reworked, and simplifie