ee times last week, and at every table heard evolution talked of as an accepted fact, and the descent of man with calmness". However, the picture painted by Hooker is rather deceptive, as the portrayed amiability was often a matter of tone rather than of substance. People may not have been outraged, but neither were they placated.Most of the critics choose to ridicule Darwin's ideas rather than attack them head on. For example, a typical response, published in the Athenaeum, went along the lines of: "No man will ever develop religion out of a dog or Christianity out of a cat". Nevertheless, criticism was mostly tempered with praise. A good example of this is provided in the Edinburgh Review which carefully balanced displeasure with tribute: "Mr. Darwin appears to us to be not more remarkable for the acuteness and ingenuity of his powers of observation of natural phenomena, than he is for the want of logical power and sound reasoning on philosophical questions". Therefore, while despised by some and adored by others Darwin's ideas were quickly permeating into the fabric of society.Darwin left us a legacy that is greater than just the sum of his scientific work. Not only did his theory of evolution illuminate our past, but also the present and the future were now possible to interpret in "Darwinian terms". Probably more so than any other scientific theory, Darwin's theory of evolution lends itself to various social interpretations known as "social Darwinism". From the radical left to the radical right, Darwin's theory has been adopted by such people as Marx and Hitler, each of whom saw in it evidence for their own ideology. Alongside the likes of Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton, Darwin has rightly earned his place in history as one of the giants of the scientific revolution. ...
