Darwin seemed to recognize death as it approached him. Death was after all, a natural part of a natural process. He did not believe life continued after death, nor did he believe in the Old Testament. Darwin simply thought the sacred books of the Hindoos, or the beliefs of any barbarian, could not be trusted. People, like insects and animals, were just a part of nature. In the article titled Darwin’s Example, Philip Appleman discusses the difference of science versus religion. Darwin of course, held firm beliefs that life was all about science. Priests and preachers on the other hand, encouraged the belief in God, the creator of all.
Appleman, puts into words, thoughts about what happens if you are not religious and death creeps up on you. He writes about how people are encouraged to treat their bodies like a temple, but what happens if cancer creeps up on this temple? If you believed like Darwin, you would not be afraid but you would still hate the idea of our mortality. This is when we realize, according to Appleman that the meaning of life is actually inside of ourselves. He declares that Darwin understood the meaning of life and this is why he was not afraid to die.
I felt as if this article defined Darwin’s belief in science versus religion. I agree that death is inevitable and whether or not we treat our bodies as a temple, horrible diseases such as cancer can still evade us. I believe like Appleman stated , that when faced with death, the meaning of life can be found within ourselves. Happiness and contentment is obviously what gives life meaning, Darwin believed this and the author of this article believed this. I believe this also, though I am still researching the meaning of life.
