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Clarification on Maxwell's views about biological and molecular evolution; added a key quote from Maxwell's "Theory of Heat"
:The only laws of matter are those that our minds must fabricate and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter.<ref>http://thinkexist.com/quotation/the_only_laws_of_matter_are_those_that_our_minds/323604.html</ref>
:The only laws of matter are those that our minds must fabricate and the only laws of mind are fabricated for it by matter.<ref>http://thinkexist.com/quotation/the_only_laws_of_matter_are_those_that_our_minds/323604.html</ref>
These quotations may be offered up in support of the idea that Maxwell was opposed to the theory of evolution, which was first made available to the world at the time. It should be noted, though, that biology was neither Maxwell's area of expertise, nor was evolution developed as a full scientific field at the time these comments were made.
These quotations have been offered in support of the idea that Maxwell was opposed to the theory of evolution, which was first made available to the world at the time. It should be noted, though, that biology was neither Maxwell's area of expertise, nor was evolution developed as a full scientific field at the time these comments were made.
Furthermore, Maxwell elsewhere wrote in support of evolutionary theory for living organisms and clarified that his opposition was only to an evolutionary theory of atoms and molecules:
:The molecules of the same substance are all exactly alike, but different from those of other substances. There is not a regular gradation in the mass of molecules from that of hydrogen, which is the least of those known to us, to that of bismuth; but they all fall into a limited number of classes or species, the individuals of each species being exactly similar to each other, and no intermediate links are found to connect one species with another by a uniform gradation.
:We are here reminded of certain speculations concerning the relations between the species of living things. We find that in these also the individuals are naturally grouped into species, and that intermediate links between the species are wanting. But in each species variations occur, and there is a perpetual generation and destruction of the individuals of which the species consist.
:Hence it is possible to frame a theory to account for the present state of things by means of generation, variation, and discriminative destruction.
:In the case of the molecules, however, each individual is permanent; there is no generation or destruction, and no variation, or rather no difference, between the individuals of each species.
:Hence the kind of speculation with which we have become so familiar under the name of theories of evolution is quite inapplicable to the case of molecules. <ref>James Clerk Maxwell, "The Theory of Heat", London, Longman's, Green, and Co., 1871. http://www.archive.org/stream/theoryofheat00maxwrich/</ref>
It should also be noted that Maxwell wrote these words before atomic theory was widely accepted. Maxwell of course knew nothing of the chemical composition of molecules like proteins and DNA, nor did he know about sub-atomic or nuclear processes, all of which contradict his claims that "there is no generation or destruction, and no variation ..." among molecules and atoms.
==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==