Bill Bailey on Alfred Russel Wallace | Natural History Museum

Comedian Bill Bailey shares his huge admiration for Alfred Russel Wallace who died 100 years ago in 1913. Not only did Wallace co-discover natural selection, the driving force for evolution, he also founded a new field of biology - the study of the geographical distribution of animals.
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[@mizofan]

Wallace was not just a great distinguished biologist/scientist/explorer but a very good modest man, concerned for social justice, votes for women, land redistribution etc, and not a racist like Darwin and other contemporaries. Without Darwin's establishment connections, it's high time he had wider fame and credit

[@Raydensheraj]

Where does this mis- and disinformation concerning Charles Darwin being a racist come from !? The entire Darwin family was known as radical abolitionists. Charles Darwin argued against slavery and for him to be a "racist" would mean he would have to reject his own scientific theory...for example, him and Captain FitzRoy argued quite aggressively about slavery... Evolutionary theory clearly indicates a universal common ancestor for all biological species. "How weak are the arguments of those who maintain that slavery is a tolerable evil." - Charles Darwin. FitzRoy and Darwin got into heated arguments concerning slavery.

[@dopeyfx1783]

Darwin was not a racist. He addressed racism in his "decent of man" and discussed how it was irrational. He may have been mildly sexist, and certainly was irresponsible in his killing and consumption of endangered species but the guy was not a racist. I think you are getting him mixed with Galton, one of his cousins

[@IndriidaeNT]

I love Alfred Wallace, my favorite specimens that he collected are the birds of paradise, gliding frogs, Sumartan Orangutan, macaws and tamarins,

[@EricaNernie]

Really want to find out more about Wallace. Have been to Bali and Lombok (and the Rio Negro!) but next ? Sulawesi? post pandemic of course

[@foambundt]

i had no idea about his map making thanks for flushing that out for me!

[@tourdegadetheskankslayer1065]

Brilliant!

[@foambundt]

i cannot thank you enough i really really can't!

[@mrfusey1]

I don't think he was that poor look at the dell Thurrock the house is massive he built it and it one of the first concrete houses england

[@muddyriverdogz]

Darwin was rich Wallace was poor....That about sums it up!

[@lardyify]

It seems illogical to me for there to be such a thing as a Wallace line. According to Richard Dawkins, in The Ancestor’s Tale, monkeys evolved from prosimian ancestors on Africa then crossed to South America in various (or even a single) rafting incidents. If animals can raft across the Atlantic, how much easier is it to cross a mere 20 miles of sea? And birds could just fly across. Maybe the physical conditions on Lombok are so different in terms of vegetation and habitat that Lombok is simply not an attractive place to live for ‘Asian’ species? If so, I would appreciate the hypothesis being discussed in the narrative.

[@thetruerottweilers3063]

Wallace was actually the first scientist that discredited the natural selection, at least the way Darwin saw it, and introduced the intelligent design reality.

[@vooveks]

Yeah, and isn't it great that we know better now.

[@dopeyfx1783]

"Intelligent design" is just creation science dressed up. It's religion pretending to be science. In the kitzmiller Vs Dover trial it was barred from being taught in schools after it was shown the intelligent design advocates had just switched the words "creation science" for "intelligent design" in their main document. They even left the term "creation science" in the document in some places. The term intelligent design is a modern adaption of creation science and so not something Wallace would have advocated for. Besides Wallace was a firm proponent of evolution by natural selection, he even came up with term around the same time Darwin did. Both men discovered the means of evolution independant from one another.

[@thetruerottweilers3063]

@@dopeyfx1783 despite your fake and fable arguments, evolution does NOT exist. Admittedly, it is at best just another ... pagan RELIGION, while Christianity and Biblical TRUTH are historical events proved beyond any reasonable doubt! Only completely dishonest people - intelectuals included, will deny the evidence for God and His Creation.

[@johnhowe50]

I believe that Wallace gave away his achievements and evolutionary theories to Darwin and because Darwin was from a 'landed' family with connections he is better known.

[@johnedwards163]

Alas Wallace discredited himself by promoting spiritualism and other totally unscientific phenomena

[@rakadoni8403]

Can you tell me more ? Never heard that before !

[@papaben5427]

Looks like Bill Bailey had a rough night.

[@scorch34]

pog

[@oscarpolk3364]

pog