Deborah Heiligman
From Rick Margolis's interview with Deborah Heiligman, author of Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith, at School Library Journal:
What’s the biggest misconception about Darwin’s work?Read the complete Q & A.
People still think that somehow we evolved from monkeys. Darwin thought that apes and people had a common ancestor way back when and that the tree of life branched out. We are definitely related to monkeys, but we didn’t come from a monkey. Even though that’s really just a technicality, it’s what gets a lot of people crazy about evolution.
Has writing this book given you any insight on how science and religion can coexist peacefully?
That was a big reason why I wanted to write the book. I believe there are these misconceptions, and if people would just talk about them, like Charles and Emma did, they’d find they have much more in common than not. What really upsets people is that they think Darwin was an atheist and that everybody who believes in evolution believes the same thing. If I were devout, that would horrify me as well.
What did Darwin believe?
Darwin really didn’t know if there was a God or not. His belief...[read on]
Visit Deborah Heiligman's website.
--Marshal Zeringue
