Freeman Dyson Breaks Silence About the Dogma Around Darwin

Renowned scientist and creator of the famed “Dyson Sphere” thought experiment, Freeman Dyson has become known for his “heretical” views about climate change over the past decade. Dyson acknowledges that climate change is occurring but rejects the orthodox belief that it is anthropogenic—the result of human causality.

At 94 years old and arguably one of the top scientific minds of the 20th and 21st centuries, Dyson is using his gravitas to defy orthodoxy and question the scientific community’s status quo regarding the role of natural selection in Darwin’s theory of evolution. Darwin, he asserts, was correct to a point but notes there are limits to natural selection as a phenomenon within small populations. But Freeman Dyson knows there are risks to one questioning the prevailing consensus:

“Because the biologists are very defensive about Darwin. If you say anything critical about Darwin you’re regarded as an enemy. It’s a very dangerous subject to tread on. I kept quiet for thirty years so maybe it’s time to speak.” —Freeman Dyson

Dyson’s comment above reveals a pervasive dogmatism in the scientific community and how defectors are likely to be ostracized. You can read the full article here.