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ENMU Visiting Professor to Present
Series
on Darwin and Evolution
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| (L-R) Jack Williamson, Jonathan Smith
in ENMU's Science Fiction Library named after Williamson. Smith
holds The Jack Williamson Endowed Chair in Science and Humanities
at Eastern New Mexico University, and is organizing a series of
presentations on Darwin and evolution at the University. |
Dr. Jonathan Smith, who holds the Jack Williamson Visiting
Endowed Chair in Science and the Humanities at Eastern New Mexico University
in Portales, is conducting an on-going colloquium on “Darwin and
Darwinism Today: Contexts and Controversies.”
Smith, associate professor of English in the Humanities Department at
the University of Michigan-Dearborn, will give the first presentation
on "Charles Darwin, Natural Selection, and Victorian Culture"
at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb 6, in Buchanan Hall in the Music Building.
This first session will focus on the personal and historical contexts
of Darwin's work. Smith will talk about who Darwin was as a person,
how he developed his theory of evolution, why it took him so long to
publish his ideas, and how his theory was received.
One of the responsibilities of the holder of the Jack Williamson Endowed
Chair in Science and the Humanities, which was endowed by Williamson
himself, is to conduct a colloquium on a topic that will "facilitate
discussion and reflection by students, faculty, and the broader community
on the interactions of science and the humanities and their importance
in enhancing American culture and society."
Smith, who holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University, says that “no
scientific theory has had a wider impact on our understanding of what
it means to be human, in both a literal and figurative sense, than Darwinian
evolution, and none has generated more controversy in everyday American
life. I hope the topic will spark the kind of engaged, thoughtful discussion
that Jack (Williamson) envisioned. Since I'm a specialist in Victorian
literature and science with a particular interest in Darwin, I'm looking
forward to both learning more about the current status of Darwin's ideas
and to contributing some of my own knowledge about the cultural impact
of his work.”
Jack Williamson, 93, is a retired professor emeritus of English from
Eastern New Mexico University and a world-renowned science fiction writer.
Winner of several Hugo and Nebula Awards, including a 2001 Hugo in the
novella category, Williamson is still an active writer and teaches a
science fiction writing course at Eastern. He was first published in
1928 in “Amazing Stories.”
In endowing the chair, Williamson wrote: “Our Civilization grew
out of the great legacy that comes down to us from the ancient Mediterranean
world. Its gifts include the democratic institutions that guard our
individual liberties, the freedom of thought that allows us to question
received authority, the scientific method that seeks truth from nature
rather than tradition, the new technologies of the information age that
have spread it around the world. Now, however, in our era of political
correctness, with old value systems swept away and all cultures equalized,
it stands in danger from its own success. This endowment is funded as
a small reminder of its worth.”
According to Smith, there will be four or five additional sessions during
the semester. Dates and times have yet to be arranged, but they will
take place on different days of the week and at various times. Three
sessions are definite: Dr. Marvin Lutnesky, chair of ENMU’s Department
of Biology, will discuss the modern understanding of evolution in biology.
Dr. Kathy Durand, assistant professor of anthropology at ENMU, will
make a presentation on human evolution, and Doug Mills, chair of the
ENMU Department of Religion, will examine Darwinism and religion.
Although each session will stand on its own, the series is designed
to build from a look at the historical Darwin to the status of evolutionary
theory today to some of the current debates and controversies that Darwin's
ideas provoke.
Smith says that it’s important to emphasize that the sessions are
not simply or even primarily lectures, but occasions for discussion,
conversation, question-raising, and debate. Reading materials for each
session will be made available over the web on a site (http://www.enmu.edu/jackwilliamson/colloquium)
devoted to the colloquium, which will be part of the University's web
site.
Readings for the first session will come from Darwin's autobiography
and an essay on it by John Rosenberg titled "Mr. Darwin Collects
Himself."
All sessions are free and open to the public. For more information,
contact Smith at 505.562.2662 (jonathan.smith1@enmu.edu).
By Wendel Sloan
News Services Director
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