Something I haven't been able to shake since we've started these discussions revolving around Darwin is the prevalent themes of (1)the dialectical exchange of ideas and (2) the use of language in expressing one's intentions.
By the dialectic I am referring to the cycle of thesis-->antithesis-->synthesis and how ideas take shape by following this model. In essence it allows for the introduction of new realities and the squashing of old ones. Here we've seen an interesting exchange between a few men of upstanding academic accreditation react to the idea(s)that Darwin has offered to the world.
Not only do each subsequent author suggest that they do not agree with Darwin be it, Darwinian though, his methods, or Darwin's personal motivations, they also introduce a different manner(discursive method) in articulating their ideas. First consider Pope who through the use of analogy and metaphor rebuts Darwin's ideas. Then Butler comes along and literally scrutinizes every aspect of Darwin's delivery. Following Butler, Shaw synthesizes the information Butler reasonably handed out by the use of irony.
These different uses of languages are important to recognize as they set the cadre for the information each author introduces to us and thusly shapes our understanding of the potential reality they propose.
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