BIRDS OF THE SAME SPECIOUS:

Darwin: evidence is everything (Mark S. Lawson, 18 February 2009, Online Opinion)

Three great scholars are generally associated with the second half of the 19th century - Darwin, Freud and Marx. There were many more, of course, but those three are all household names and devised theories that have had far reaching effects. Of those three Charles Darwin is the only one whose reputation has survived intact. With his 200th birthday being celebrated recently, it is worth considering why his fame has grown since his death and the theories of the other two have been discarded.

In the process we can gain some inkling of the extraordinary nonsense that can distort public and scientific debate.

This is not to entirely dismiss either Karl Marx or Sigmund Freud. Both men kicked off whole new ways of looking at subjects. Freud started the new idea of treating a patient with a mental illness by talking to the patient. Talking helped, it was found. The problem was that he devised theories about what was going on inside the patient’s mind which were wrong.

Before Karl Marx the study of history was mostly military history. After him, historians began to think in terms of economics and classes. Again, the problem is that although he brought a whole new perspective to economics and history, (almost) everyone can now agree that the theories he devised concerning collectivisation of property and the various stages through which a society must pass are of little use.

So what was the difference between those two and Darwin?

The only significant difference among the three is that while Freud was responsible for much human misery, his bogus theories aren't responsible for millions of deaths.

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 17, 2009 5:50 PM