Theodosius Dobzhansky 1964 or 1973? – Know your source!

“Nothing makes sense in biology except in the light of evolution” is a famous quote by Theodosius Dobzhansky. In a previous blog post I referred to his 1973 article with the quote used as title, in which he emphasized that Christian faith and the theory of evolution go well together.

This was not his first mention of this dictum as I learned. In 1964, Theodor Dobzhansky presented a paper in 1964 at the American Society of Zoologists (later renamed the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology) where he explored evolutionary theory in context to other biological disciplines. He emphasized the success of molecular biology in studying the mechanisms of life. He attributed this success to the idea of treating organisms as machines without resorting to vitalism. However, Dobzhansky warned against reducing all of biology to the molecular level and stressed the importance of organismic biology, which is the study of levels above the molecular. He acknowledged the complex relationships between levels of biological organization and that advanced knowledge at one level may not inform a meaningful understanding of the upper level. Dobzhansky also argued that evolutionary thinking was essential for a complete understanding of biology as it allows for a holistic view of life, incorporating both molecular and organismic biology. The evolutionary principles of common ancestry and adaptation can explain the similarities and diversity of organisms respectively.

Theodosius Dhobzansky: “Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution”

Theodosius Dobzhansky (24 January  1900 in Nemirov, Ukraine –18 December 1975, Riverside, CA)  was a biologist, geneticist, philosopher of biology and Orthodox Christian. He was among the major 20th century scientists who studied evolutionary biology.

He authored the important work “Genetics and the Origin of Species” (1937), in which he synthesized Mendel’s genetics with Darwin’s evolutionary theory. His philosophical thought tended toward the idea of human nature as subject to transformations and mutations, which he used to challenge the racial outlooks of his time (the term “nature,” as used here, does not primarily refer to the metaphysical nucleus that individuates the human being as person).

Dobzhansky’s philosophical reflections on evolution are developed from the point of view of a believer, a point of view to which he remained, albeit discreetly, faithful. His work, “The Biology of Ultimate Concern”, published in 1967 a few years before his death, testifies to this. Here he said:

“Christianity is, among the great religions, most explicitly history-conscious, and in this sense evolutionistic. It affirms that the history of mankind and of the world is not merely an illusion or an irremediable evil. History is the vehicle of creation. The world had a beginning, and will have an end.”

In his famous article: “Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution”, he said:

“Does the evolutionary doctrine clash with religious faith? It does not. It is a blunder to mistake the Holy Scriptures for elementary textbooks of astronomy, geology, biology, and anthropology.”