John Campbell, a founder of the rhetoric of science movement, discussed his theories regarding Darwinism, American pedagogy, and liberal education in a well-attended public lecture at Hamilton on November 6.
After discussing his own personal interest in Darwin and his theories, Campbell noted that the success of Darwin's theories is not only pinned on the originality of his own ideas, but also the respectful hearing his theories received after publication. According to Campbell, Darwin is "twice great" in the same respects that Galileo is considered to be a double genius. Both Darwin and Galileo were conceptual geniuses. The way that Galileo assumed a radically different standpoint from the rest of academia and society parallels Darwin's theory in The Origin of the Species and his subsequent works.
Perhaps more important, though, is the second way they are both considered brilliant. This is through the way that they conveyed their revolutionary ideas. Galileo went against academic standards of the time by publishing his own theories in his native language, Italian, instead of writing it in the language of academia, Latin. Similarly, Darwin's theory confronted the problem of communication and dealt with it successfully by conveying a revolutionary idea in a way that everyone can understand it. He made an idea, which common sense "makes seem ridiculous," understandable, allowing people to not only comprehend the theory, but also discuss and argue over it.
Campbell claimed that rhetoric requires not only form but also substance; a liberal education requires the same elements. Campbell argues that in using liberal arts as the model for American pedagogy, the United States must find, and agree upon, a strategy in which Darwin's theories could be taught in all schools. Darwin and his theories, Campbell argued, is part of American "common intellectual heritage," as it is one of the longest-running debates in American education. This idea challenges not only many structures of American public education, but also the culture of communication.
The main question is: how is one to teach Darwinism and appeal to both religious conservatives and scientists? Americans need a new frame of mind, not geared toward either science or religion. Campbell offered what he called a modest proposal: reading the actual work and discussing what aspects of the book are scientific, and which aspects are not. Most importantly, a discussion of why different aspects clash is important to the classroom discussion of the historically controversial topic, as science is, according to Campbell, a great debate of two opposing sides.
Campbell's extensive studies of Darwinism stemmed from his undergraduate scholarly study. He is professor and director of graduate studies in the department of communication at the University of Memphis.
--by Emily Lemanczyk '05
