Darwin's theory was part of a larger cultural shift towards naturalistic philosophy. Why is he still the target of so many attacks?
By Brendan Maher
ARTICLE EXTRAS
In the years before I became a moping, rebellious teen, I spent countless hours talking with my father, Thomas Ryan Maher: me sitting at the foot of his bed and him in a creaky office chair with his feet up on the same.
My father was a devout Roman Catholic, a lawyer, and foremost an arguer. He'd argue any point, but relished in particular the intersections between law and morality, ethical puzzles, and the nature of faith. His arguments were meticulously crafted in the tradition of Thomas Aquinas, appearing to take all angles into consideration, but almost always settling on teleology and doctrine.
We spoke of evolution. I was young and had largely experienced science through a Catholic school that exposed me to Darwin, ...
