Hans Medina

Ms. Rochman
English 12
January 3, 2017
The Challenge of Darwinism: Origin of Species Suppressed

Charles Darwins most well known scientific treatise, On the Origin of Species, has been

the subject of heated debate ever since it was first published in 1859. Darwins theory of

evolution by natural selection, which he outlined and explained in the book, is the main point of

controversy. This theory challenged and continues to challenge established religious beliefs

about the creation of the world and of mankind. Religious authorities and devout followers of

Abrahamic religions around the world have challenged, suppressed, and even outright banned

Darwins book because of the danger that his ideas posed to their beliefs.

The first major challenge to Darwins ideas came shortly after On the Origin of Species

was published in 1859. Immediately, his theory was put under scrutiny by many of Britains most

well-known academics, especially those of the University of Cambridge; Darwin himself studied

at the constituent Trinity College and found much of his inspiration for the theory of evolution

during his time as a student. Dr. William Whewell, a prominent Anglican philosopher and the

Master of Trinity College, was skeptical about the validity of Darwins theory. Darwin was

greatly influenced by the ideas of William Whewell, and even as far as to quote one of his texts

in On the Origin of Species. Dr. Whewell did not completely dismiss Darwins work when he

received his copy of the book, stating himself in a letter to Darwin that,

Probably you will not be surprised to be told that I cannot, yet at least, become a convert
to your doctrines. But there is so much of thought and of fact in what you have written
that it is not to be contradicted without careful selection of the ground and manner of the
dissent, which I have not now time for. (Whewell 1)
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Regardless, Dr. Whewell banned On the Origin of Species from Trinity Colleges library

for his entire time as the Master of Trinity, as he felt that the theory was too flawed for the broad

claims it made about mankinds creation, which conflicted directly with his own beliefs as a

devout Anglican. The structure in which Darwin presented his theory in On the Origin of Species

was in the inductive reasoning style that Whewell himself developed, so it is ironic that Whewell

himself would be so dismissive of Darwins work, and even go as far as to ban it at the school

Darwin graduated from.

In 1860, a major academic debate occurred at the University of Oxford between

proponents and opponents of Darwins theories. Dr. Whewell was in attendance, but the

arguments of the naturalists who believed in evolution, most notably of Thomas Huxley, did not

change his beliefs. The silent protest of the book continued until after Whewells death in 1866,

when official ban of On the Origin of Species at the library ceased. This would not be the last

time, however, that the publication would stir up controversy. American copies of On the Origin

of Species began to be printed in 1860 and would slowly circulate throughout the country. As the

academics fought over the validity of Darwins work in Europe, new opposition to the book

would stir in the United States.

It was not until the twentieth century that Darwins book was challenged in a few states.

The state of Tennessee was the site of one of the most famous challenges of Origin. John Butler,

a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, introduced the Butler Act, which was

passed in January of 1925. The act forbade the teaching of Darwins theory and use of the book

in public schools. The constitutionality of the act was first challenged in the same year during the

famous Scopes Trial. John Thomas Scopes, a high school teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, enlisted

the help of the American Civil Liberties Union to challenge the Butler Act in court. A week and a
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half of deliberations followed, ending in a guilty verdict for Mr. Scopes on July 21, 1925, who

was sentenced to pay a fine of $100 for violating the Act. The Butler Act remained in effect until

May of 1967, when the threat of litigation from another science teacher, Gary L. Scott, forced the

Tennessee government to repeal the Act in the same year.

Another, much more recent American challenge to Darwins book came in 2015, in the

town of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. A legal complaint was filed on May 12 of that year by

Kenneth Smith, the religious parent of a female high school student in Jefferson County. He

accused the Jefferson County school board of jeopardizing his daughters chances of pursuing a

career as a veterinarian because her school taught her evolutionary biology. Mr. Smith called the

use of Darwins book in schools a faith base that just doesnt exist and has no math to back it.

He believed that the work of Darwin should be considered a religion under U.S. law, and

therefore unconstitutional to teach in public schools. Mr. Smith has taken legal action on similar

claims twice in the past, suing the Jefferson County School Board and the National Institute of

Health in 2007 and 2010 respectively. The 2015 case was dismissed with prejudice on August 25

of the same year, meaning that Mr. Smith can not file the same complaint again.

Although On the Origin of Species has been challenged many times during its existence,

there have only been a few instances of the English translation being banned. Translations of the

book into other languages, however, have been nationally banned by governments in the past. A

very recent example of this was in Malaysia. The Malaysian translation of the book was banned

in 2006 by the Malaysian Home Ministry, along with other scientific texts that posed a threat to

Islamic religious philosophy. The English version of the book remained legal to own in the

country. This prevented literate Malaysians who did not know English from learning about
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Darwins theories. Many liberal thinkers and politicians in Malaysia see this banning as a way of

suppressing the scientific education of literate Malaysians in favor of fundamentalist ideals.

Nearly two-thirds of Malaysians practice Islam, which makes the Malaysian Islamic

Development Department, the nations main religious authority, very influential in determining

what content and literature is and isnt acceptable for Malaysian Muslims. Few Malaysians are

fully literate in English, so banning books like On the Origin of Species in the Malaysian

language has been an effective way of preventing ideas like evolution from challenging

established religious beliefs. Malaysian Member of Parliament Zairil Khir Johari spoke out

against the banning in 2014 in a syndicated column for Malaysian newspapers, and questioned

the logic of the Home Ministrys actions:

According to the written reply by the Home Minister, the book is banned because it
endangers public harmony. Explaining further, the Minister also states that the
translated book depicts a view of the origin and creation of species that goes against
Islamic teachings and is in contravention of the Islamic Materials Censorship Guidelines
as well as the beliefs of the Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah. Meanwhile, the English version
is allowed because the Home Ministry has not received any complaints regarding the
existence of any infringements of Islamic aspects according to the very same
guidelines by Jakim. (Johari 1)

According to the Home Minister, the books Malaysian translation was banned because it

threatened conventional Islamic beliefs about the creation of man. The English version however,

contained nothing threatening even though the book contains the same information, just in two

different languages. MP Johari continued his editorial by stating his reasons why Malaysians

should have access to texts like On the Origin of Species,

The explanation by the Home Minister not only makes absolutely no sense, it is also a
veritable insult to the intelligence of Malaysians. How can the same book be considered a
public danger and against Islamic teachings in one language, but perfectly acceptable in
another?... (Johari 1)
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The actions of Johari to address this issue have proved futile, as the Home Ministry has still kept

the bans in place to this day. The logic of the Home Ministry has remained unchallenged by any

other member of Parliament, and literate Malaysians are still forced to learn English in order to

consume scientific texts like On the Origin of Species.

The ideas of Darwin have posed a serious threat to religion ever since it was first

published. The danger that Darwins ideas seem to possess have convinced governments,

scholars, and religious authorities to withhold the work from the view the common man.

Although On the Origin of Species remains legal to own and read in most of the developed

world, there are still places that ban its consumption, and refuse to accept or integrate the theory

into their own system of beliefs. Typically, a book is only banned in a specific country because a

certain taboo of that culture is presented within a book. Creationism, however, is a belief central

to all Abrahamic religions, which have a majority of the Earths population as followers. This is

why the work of Darwin has been such a controversial topic in many countries throughout the

world. On the Origin of Species looks at an idea common to all of man, that is, our creation.

Until the stigma surrounding scientific theories about mans creation are gone, On the Origin of

Species will continue to be a banned book somewhere. The great debate between creationism and

Darwinism still continues to this day in the courts, classrooms, and libraries of the world.

Darwins work has shaped much of modern biology, and On the Origin of Species laid

out one of the most important scientific theories ever devised. The belief systems of organized

religion will have to adapt as more people become skeptical of creationism in the western world.
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In order to maintain a free society, every person should have access to knowledge, no matter how

controversial it may be. Governments who advocate for the suppression of Darwins book do not

protect them from dangerous ideas, they insult their intelligence and autonomy as humans. Most

of the bans of Origin have been lifted, and I hope that the governments who keep it banned allow

for their people to read and discuss these ideas.

Works Cited

Branch, Glenn. "Antievolution Lawsuit Dismissed in West Virginia." Antievolution

Lawsuit Dismissed in West Virginia | NCSE. National Center for Science Education, 9

Sept. 2015. Web. 26 Dec. 2016.

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Browne, E. J. Charles Darwin: The Power of Place. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002.

Print.

Ching, Katherine. "Ching, K. --- The Teaching of Creation and Evolution in the State of

Tennessee." Geoscience Research Institute, n.d. Web. 29 Dec. 2016.

"The Great Debate." O.U.M.N.H. Learning More. University of Oxford, n.d. Web. 22

Dec. 2017.

"How Is Translated Darwin a danger to Malays? Asks DAP MP." The Malay Mail

[Kuala Lumpur] 16 May 2014: 1. Print.

Johari, Zairil Khir. "Why Are Some Books Banned in Malay but Allowed in English?"

Malaysia Today. N.p., 06 May 2014. Web. 28 Dec. 2016.

Kenneth Smith v. Jefferson County Board of Education, State Superintendent Michael

Martirano, Francis Collins, Director of the National Institute of Health Arne Duncan,

Secretary of Education of the U.S. Department of Education. Northern West Virginia

District Court. 12 May 2015. Print.

Ruse, Michael. "23." The "Origin" Then and Now: An Interpretive Guide to the "Origin

of Species" By David M. Reznick. Oxfordshire: Princeton UP, 2010. 400. Print.

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Whewell, William. "From William Whewell." Letter to Charles Darwin. 2 Jan. 1860. MS.

Trinity Lodge, Cambridge, England.