Darwinism

Press, 28 May 1979, Page 16

Darwinism

Sir, — In reference to William R. Catton’s letter (May 24), I would like to point out that there have never been and never will be any transitional species of life found, fossilised or otherwise and Darwin himself wondered about this too. The reason is that evolution is a theory and only a theory. The facts are that millions of people’s lives have been transformed by a loving Creator who only wants to reunite with us, through the love of his only Son. — Yours, etc., G. I. MULES. May 24, 1979. Sir, — Re Sam Witchel’s article (“The Press,” May 22). The conservation ethic of trying to preserve vanishing animal and plant species in their native habitats is nothing to do with trying to reverse the evolutionary process (though it may benefit future evolution). It is simply a matter of morality, based on the concept that plants and animals other than man have rights. Humanity has obligations to respect these rights, though very often we must compromise with our consciences to some degree. It would be barbarous to disregard the fate of the takahe, the blue whale, the Bengal tiger, the whooper crane, the kauri, the Castle Hill buttercup just for the

sake of economic expediency. By uncontrolled population growth and consequent overuse of resources, humanity threatens to destroy many other organisms, deliberately, by exploitation, or accidentally, by habitat, modification. These organisms took millions, if not hundreds of millions of years to evolve. Why should we wipe them out overnight? — Yours, etc.,

COLIN BURROWS. May 23, 1979.