Three thinkers that I think changed the landscape of modern scientific thought are:
1. Darwin
2. Marx
3. Freud
I know, I know, where are Einstein, Newton and many other physicists from this list. My concern is not right now with the material physical world rather the world of humans as we have constructed it.
The social life that we lived had been dominated by voices of the dogmatic religions of the medieval times. In these times, when these three thinkers came to the scene, with their respective discoveries, it really changed the way we were forced to see reality due to dogmatic religions.
Here we are concerned with Evolutionary theory. And of course, not to say, it is not just a theory but a conclusive description of reality as we know it. But at the same time, we see, Darwin being misappropriated by the right wing, generally the Libertarian Free marketists, as the philosopher of the right.
Here the main culprit I consider, this man named Herbert Spencer. Who not only coined the phrase, "Survival of the fittest", which more often is attributed to Darwin, who never used this term, but also, Spencer created a new theory of Social Darwinism, where he justified class inequalities as the poor is the unfit extinction worthy species, and the rich is equivalent to the fit survivor of this social jungle. What a pathetic misappropriation. That is why, Poverty is so tabooed in everywhere. It is considered a matter of shame as if the poor is responsible for his poverty. But the reality is, more often than not, like 100% of the times, It is a complex set of changing socio-economic conditions that forces the man out of his pockets and leaves him without money. There is no shame in being poor. There is no guilt to be taken if you cannot afford food. It is social circumstances.
Also, We see, how social Darwinism misinterprets the principle of selective mutation and the principle of natural selection. In any natural setting, it is not fixed which trait is the deciding trait for which the nature is going to be performing the natural selection. For example, the white beetle got extinct due to being easily exposed because of growing pollution whereas the dark beetle got saved due to his color. So, the criteria of judgement of nature, is very random and circumstantial. To make it predictably obvious, is not nature's way. and It is in retrospect that we contemplate how a species would have gotten extinct. To attribute just richness with fitness for evolution is also fallacious as to say that having a good physique guarantees natural selection. If that is so, why did the Neanderthals got extinct? Social Darwinians are, hence, jerk heads.
Now coming to the issue at hand, having given a note on how Darwin's evolution is not a rich glorifying propaganda but a solid natural description of reality, we come to modern times, when developments of this idea are already in place.
After Darwin's Evolution due to Natural selection, came Neo-Darwinians, who along with natural surviving factors also gave some value to inherited variations and genetic mutations in the process of natural selection but they remained Darwinians as they did not leave the tenet of natural selection.
But, An American Evolutionary Biologist, Lynn Margulis, rejected this consensus and gave a Gene theory of Symbiosis, which, although can be considered Darwinian at heart but has expanded the scope of Darwinian thought to genetic levels and speciate variations to the level of a cell. Let us understand what Symbiogenesis is and then we will proceed.
Theory of symbiogenesis gives that evolutionary theory of the origin of Eukaryotic cells from Prokaryotic cells. How?
We found a new Organelle in the cell of Marine algae, called Nitroplast, An organelle responsible for Nitrogen fixation in atmosphere. Then Lynn hypothesized, how would this organelle have had come in this place. We understand that Cyano-bacteria fixes nitrogen and often comes in a symbiotic relationship with Marine Algae which provides shelter. Over time, when this symbiotic relationship persisted and not only persisted but cherished and they both survived, they were deemed fit by nature and Marine algae species underwent a mutation which led to Nitroplast being automatically installed in the Alage.
This theory is a genius of Lynn as she has described, possibly the evolution of Organelles like Mitochondria, Nucleus and plastids in complex eukaryotic cells and linking it to evolutionary theory, it is nothing but a sort of a revolution in the field. We call it, Endosymbiosis.
Researchers claim that this is a recent evolutionary development. like, around 100 million years, this might be an evolutionary change that has occurred. This might also explain the Indian idiot Political leaders who often ask for proof of evolution and say, "We have not seen monkeys changing into Humans".
Recently, this was in news when a Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria, UCYN-A, and a marine Algae, B. Bigelowii, were found in a symbiotic relationship, and it is common understanding that Nitroplasts are recent developments in some marine Algae. hence, correlations found, and the theory proposes a solid causation.
B. Bigelowii has Nitroplasts in it. That is wonderful marvel of nature. Here also, Whenever Humans discover something, instead of marveling at the wonder of nature, they ask, "How can it help us humans?" I coin a term often to describe this aspect of human nature, I call it, "Bheekhmanga Manushsya" or "Humans as natural beggars, beggars who beg newer and newer demands from nature instead of just leaving it as it is".
So, here are some potential applications of this discovery,
1. It can revolutionize Agriculture. as Ammonia made by Haber's process was good but the process was very pollutive.
2. Engineering of host cells. We can literally make new cells with features that we like. We not just need to make sure the newly formed organelle is well integrated within the periphery of the host cell.
3. We can understand genetic evolution better. We can in future tell with surety how humans evolved with much more accuracy and precision.
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