Discussing Darwins Evolutionary Theory through Using Monsters, Like Werewolves - Research Paper Example

Disproving Monsters Brian Regal’s article, entitled Where Have all the Werewolves Gone?, discusses Darwin’s evolutionary theory, and its implications and outcomes in a very interesting manner: he used monsters, like werewolves, to explain his subject matter. The author sheds light on how the idea of monsters, especially shape-shifters, has emerged and eventually disappeared, or perhaps, discredited. The emergence of Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory ultimately puts an end to the belief about the existence of werewolves, but, unfortunately, gives rise to new monsters, like Bigfoot. The article is well-written, thorough, vivid, and easy to follow or understand. The author successfully conveys the evolution of people’s beliefs about monsters and how scientists, especially naturalists, tried to prove that monsters are not real, or merely products of a restless imagination. This essay evaluates the article in terms of content and purpose. The article is divided into three subtopics—The Slow Death of the Wolfman, Missing Links, and From Apes to Ape Men. As far back as 2,000 B.C., the idea of a werewolf has already existed. During the ancient period, images of monsters filled the imaginations of ordinary folks; many assumed that prehistory was characterized by a frightening environment of alive distorted body parts, moving around and joining together to form strange hybrids. No one during Darwin’s time believed in such an idea, but it was completely rational to look at the mysteries of the production of species—evolution or transmutation. Eventually monsters have been regarded probable links to the evolution of new species (Amigoni 36). If monsters were mutations or departures from the normal, then perhaps they were the answer to the question of species differences. This is the main point of the article. In terms of content, the article is clear-cut and explanatory, but not in a tedious, dull way. Although the author talks about a subject matter that is scientific, technical, and formal, he is able to keep the discussion appealing and fascinating by making his descriptions vivid or graphic. For instance, he describes how evolutionists of the 19th century look at the idea of monsters in this way (Regal 2): Others, though unwilling to accept mermaids, argued that even more wondrous creatures existed as a result of evolution. Archaeopteryx, for example, no less fantastic than a hippogriff, existed in the fossil record. The dinosaurs and long-necked plesiosaurs bestrode the land and swam the seas just as majestically as anything from Greek mythology. The above statement talks about the scientifically proven existence of prehistoric creatures, like dinosaurs, in a way that is not too technical or difficult to understand; instead the author uses vivid and imaginative descriptions of these prehistoric monsters. Another example is this one (Regal 4): Starting off as bestial, dim-witted brutes, the Neanderthals experienced a reversal of fortune. No longer fiends to be feared, they transformed into 1960s-style flower children, in tune with their environment, to be admired and even emulated. Like the monstrous races and apes before them, the ape-man’s initial fearsomeness began to evaporate. The author clearly explains here how the Neanderthal’s image as a fearsome creature changed into something more positive or encouraging. His descriptions are not verbose, but concise, and still, he is able to explain this transformation of the Neanderthal in a very interesting way by using a literary style of depiction. Hence, instead of explaining an otherwise mind-numbing and scientific evolution of the image of Neanderthal, the author describes them as though they are part of a legend or a myth, and this effectively catches the attention of his readers. The author also uses exact evidence to support his statements. The information given is not merely based on anecdotal, subjective information, or on personal interpretation. The author objectively provides an account of how the assumption that monsters are real disappeared or discredited by scientists, especially by Darwin’s evolutionary theory. No hint of personal, or scholarly, bias emerged in the article. What is apparent is that the author himself is very keen and interested in the subject matter, which is revealed on how he approaches both cultural and scientific beliefs about monsters. Although the idea of monsters seems laughable and preposterous at best, the author is able to endow a strong sense of integrity and significance to the matter. He provides a scientific explanation to a mystical belief, and is able to prove that monsters, based on scientific perspectives, do not exist but are mere portrayals of creatures that, at the time of their sighting, did not yet appear humanlike. Big names in the intellectual world are cited to support his claims, such as Edward Tyson, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Eugene Dubois. Their theories about the so-called ‘monsters’ are briefly, but clearly, presented. Furthermore, there is a smooth transitioning from one topic to the next. Most paragraphs are complete, and do not have any loose end. For instance, there is a clear transition from how Edward Tyson portrayed the supposed ‘mythical monsters’ to how Europeans and Americans eventually associated the term ‘monster’ with race, gender, and the human psyche. Another example is how the author changes the topic from the ‘werewolf’ to the ‘caveman’ (Regal 4): In the mid-19th century the formerly separate wild men and apes merged into a unified whole more potent than either separately: ‘Men-of-the-Woods’ from around the world took on the morphology of hairy, bipedal Ape-Men, who in turn joined with the next challenger to the werewolf’s old position: the caveman. After presenting the above information, the author then begins explaining the difference between the werewolf and the caveman, in terms of appearance and evidence pertaining to their existence Here, the author begins an elaborate discussion of the ‘missing link’ between apes and humans. Indeed, the author presented an overview of the history of ‘monsters’ in a systematic way, beginning from the ancient times to the 20th century, and beginning from an anecdotal view, to an evolutionary standpoint, to a socio-cultural perspective. The author also uses complementary, highly relevant, and powerful quotations from known scientists, particularly Charles Darwin. For instance, Darwin, in his letter to another scientist, said “I never understood a half-way link, but merely one in a long series. I think you have done good service in pointing out how rare half-way-links are, if indeed they exist… one cannot have a simple species intermediate between two great families” (Regal 2). This quote alone clearly reveals Darwin’s rejection of the existence of monsters, let alone werewolves. Another great quotation was from physiologist Simon Henry Gage, who said that “Fairies are fled, the genii banished the mermaid and the remora are captured” (Regal 2). In a metaphorical kind of way, Gage describes the successful debunking of ideas about monsters. However, the article also has weaknesses in terms of content. Although the author obviously tried his best to make the discussion understandable and not too technical, there are still concepts, words, and ideas that were not explained thoroughly. For instance, not everyone knows who St. Christopher is. Why is this important? Because St. Christopher appears in the beginning of the article, and what is more interesting is that St. Christopher is said to be a cynocephalus—‘dog-headed’ creatures; so the readers should be informed of who he is and his importance to the topic. Also, the statement that “It was during this period of scientific revolution that psychological, rather than physical, explanations for lycanthropy gained currency” (Regal 2) was not really explained; the discussion abruptly shifted to Darwin’s evolutionary theory. On the other, the author is clear about the purpose of the article—to inform, entertain, and persuade. As evident, the main intention of the author is to inform his readers about the historical debate over the existence of monsters, particularly the disagreement between folklores and scientific perspectives and findings. He informs the readers that the notion of monsters is not a new phenomenon, but goes all the way to ancient times, even perhaps to the prehistoric period. While informing the readers, the author entertains them at the same time. He entertains them with animate and creative descriptions of monsters, and with vibrant accounts of the theories of evolutionists, especially of Edward Tyson who initially intends to provide an accurate, realistic description of ‘mythical monsters’ but eventually ends up creating a more ‘monstrous’ picture of these monsters. And lastly, the author wants to persuade his readers that monsters are merely creations of human imagination; that they will not encounter in the flesh a werewolf in the woods or mermaid in the sea. He intends to persuade his reader that the ideas about monsters are a product of a long history of the conflict between religion and science, and are not the outcome of real findings or definite sightings. Works Cited Regal, Brian, “Where Have All the Werewolves Gone: Darwinian Evolution and the Image of the Monstrous,” paper presented at the annual conference of the British Society for the History of Science, University of Leicester, 5 July 2009. Amigoni, David. Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species: New Interdisciplinary Essays. New York: Manchester University Press, 1995. Print. Read More