Anthropology Event

IUN Darwin Day features several excellent speakers on science, humanities, evolution, and Darwin, with cake and songs, and just plain fun.  The featured speakers will each talk for 20 to 25 minutes, with a few minutes for questions between talks.  So come whenever you can, and stay as long as you want.

12:00   Karl Nelson's talk:
“Darwin’s Impact on Theories of Personality”
Sigmund Freud developed his concepts of personality in the general evolutionary viewpoint that influenced social scientists in the last half of the 19th Century.  Freud did not credit Darwin directly, but Dr Nelson points out that many of Freud’s evolutionary thoughts about personality are based on specific ideas of Darwin.  Some modern conceptualizations about personality are also rooted in evolutionary thinking; Dr Nelson discusses how personality may have developed in response to the natural and social environments faced by early humans.

12:30  Cutting of Charles' birthday cake
 
12:45  Theater performance
In the play Charles and Emma walk about their property discussing his ideas and their consequences; it takes place on the famous sand walk that Charles used daily for a meditative stroll.
 
1:30  Jack Bloom's talk:
“Darwin, Slavery, and Social Darwinism”
Historians consider that William Jennings Bryan (of Scopes trial fame) based his opposition to Darwin's biological evolution on his hatred of Herbert Spencer’s concept of Social Darwinism, and ultimately of slavery itself.  But in a new book just published, Darwin's Sacred Cause, authors Adrian Desmond and James Moore argue that Darwin’s own views on evolution, and specifically human evolution, were influenced by his own hatred of slavery.  How these two thinkers could both be influenced by personal objections to slavery, Social Darwinism, and social inequality, and yet come to exactly opposite viewpoints on biological evolution is the subject of Dr Bloom’s talk.


Biographical profiles:

Karl Nelson PhD
Dr. Nelson started in the Fall of 2003.  He brings to IU Northwest expertise in applied statistics and chaos theory.  He is currently faculty advisor to the Psychology Club.  Areas of research currently include student interactions in the classroom, psychological tests and measurements (how do we know what we think we know in psychology?), and addictions-related topics.
Education:
PhD, Psychology, University of Hawaii, 2003
MA, Psychology,  Minnesota State University at Mankato, 1998
BA, Psychology, Concordia College, 1993
Areas of Expertise:  Psychology     Clinical Psychology     Tests and Measurements


Rev. Dr. Roger Brewin is a Unitarian Universalist minister.  He has served at First Unitarian Church of Hobart, IN for the past ten years, and has appeared during that time as an historic reenactor throughout the country, portraying Clarence Darrow, Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin in over 200 performances.  Brewin is also editor of the semi-annual Journal of Religious Humanism, and Publications Director of the Society for Community Ministry (UU).   At a previous IUN Darwin Day he portrayed Clarence Darrow, the legendary attorney who represented Scopes after he was brought up on charges in the mid-1920s for teaching evolution.


Jack Bloom, PhD, Associate Professor of Sociology and Adjunct Associate Professor of Minority Studies and History
Dr Bloom served an academic year appointment (1990-91) as associate director of the American Studies Center and IU exchange professor at Warsaw University, where he had previously served as acting assistant professor.  Author of an award-winning book on the U.S. civil rights movement, Class, Race and the Civil Rights Movement.
Has spoken at national meetings on such topics as "Poland: From Protest to Politics," "The Emergence of the Polish Opposition" and "Dissent in Poland."
Education:
PhD, Sociology, University of California, Berkeley, 1980
MA, University of California, Berkeley, 1966
BA, University of Chicago, 1964
Areas of Expertise:   Sociology, Social Movements, Social Problems




Oh, and we will be selling the Darwin fish emblems and Anthro Club and Darwin T-shirts.

Learn more about Darwin Day, an international celebration, at: http://www.darwinday.org/

At right is Charles Darwin's tomb in Westminster Abbey

A wonderful site on Darwin's life can be found at:  http://www.csuchico.edu/~curban/Darwin/DarwinSem-S95.html
A site called "Things Creationists Hate" http://www.skepticreport.com/creationism/thingscreationistshate.htm
And a decidedly anti-evolution site:  http://www.pathlights.com/ce_encyclopedia/20hist10.htm
 
 

 

For more events, visit the IUN Anthropology Home Page