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ABSTRACT The legacy of Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln is to champion the dignity inherent in every human being.The moment of the bicentennial of their births provides an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on ways they have shaped our understanding and commitment to human rights. The naturalist and the constitutional lawyer, so different in circumstance and discipline, were morally allied in the mission to eradicate slavery. The profound lessons to be extracted from the lives of these two icons bind us to the agonizing reality that nearly 150 years after Gettysburg and the publication of the Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, there remains much work to do toward advancing the security, respect, and equality of our species. This article describes how Darwin and Lincoln's inspiring legacies guided the author's personal choices as a scientist and activist. The essay concludes with a set of questions and challenges that confront us, foremost among which is the need to balance actions in response to the violation of negative rights by actions in the pursuit of positive rights.
IT ISWITH A SENSE of intellectual excitement that this year we celebrate the bicentennial of two extraordinary men who just happened to be born on the same day, February 12, 1809.Charles Darwin was born into a learned and landed family in Shropshire, England.Quite a different social and economic setting prevailed in Abraham Lincoln's home in Kentucky. His father was a poor and uneducated farmer. Rather than declare this shared birthday a meaningless instance of chance, I prefer what some historians assert when confronted with such probabilities that this rare occurrence is an intriguing coincidence.
Despite the differences in origins of Darwin and Lincoln, there were captivating similarities in their life courses. Both lost their mothers at an early age, both were chastised by harsh fathers who did not regard them as very intelligent or courageous, and each lost his favorite child before it reached the age of 12. Both were dedicated readers and loners.They hated violence and were described as tender hearted.And they are both considered good, time-honored writers.
But my essay will not dwell on their biographies. Both have attracted enormous admiration as well as mistrust. In the years since their most noted accomplishments, the...