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Re: Butterflies Made a Darwin Doubter of Vladimir Nabokov ...
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Regarding this article, it references the Discovery Institute, a well-known
right wing Christian organization. They have nothing to do with actual
science or evolution. I'm ashamed that someone even sent this to a list
like this.
Emily Sours
"It was more probable that Lord Aylesford was in India on account of his
intrinsic merits, i.e. his ability to crawl about fashionable drawing rooms
on all fours and his willingness during these excursions to be beaten about
the rump by his fun-loving friends."
-Ronald Persall, The Worm in the Bud, The World of Victorian Sexuality
On Mon, Dec 6, 2010 at 5:25 PM, Sandy P. Klein <spklein52@hotmail.com>wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> http://texasbutterflyranch.wordpress.com/2010/12/05/butterflies-made-a-darwin-doubter-of-vladimir-nabokov/
>
> Butterflies Made a Darwin Doubter of Vladimir Nabokov
> Posted on December 5, 2010<http://texasbutterflyranch.wordpress.com/2010/12/05/butterflies-made-a-darwin-doubter-of-vladimir-nabokov/>
> by Monika Maeckle<http://texasbutterflyranch.wordpress.com/author/monikamaeckle/>
>
>
> The celebrated Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov embodies the best
> of right and left brain thinking. Known for his great novels (*Lolita*, *Pale
> Fire*, *Pnin*), he was also a passionate student of butterflies.
>
>
>
> *Viceroy Butterfly: A Mimic of the Monarch--can you tell the difference?*
>
>
> When he wasn’t producing world class literature, Nabokov served as a
> research fellow in entomology at Harvard while also teaching comparative
> literature at Wellesley. Nabokov published in such scientific journals as
> *The Entomologist*, *The Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology*, *The
> Lepidopterists’ News*, and *Psyche: A Journal of Entomology*.
>
>
>
> According to an article<http://www.evolutionnews.org/2008/07/vladimir_nabokov_furious_darwi008971.html>published by the Discovery Institute, a conservative think tank, Nabokov was
> so vexed by the notion of mimicry in nature–moths and caterpillars in
> particular–that he rejected Darwinism. Mimicry is the scientific rationale
> for creatures imitating a model to benefit from the model’s unique traits.
>
>
>
> For example, the Viceroy butterfly pictured above is considered a mimic of
> the Monarch, and benefits from the Monarch’s reputation as an untasty morsel
> to predators by appearing to be a Monarch. Yet Viceroy butterflies don’t
> eat milkweed whose latex toxins make it unsavory to birds and others.
> Viceroys host mostly on willows and poplars.
>
>
>
> In human beings, mimicry might be compared to those who dress like fashion
> models with the hope of benefiting from their borrowed beauty. But with
> butterflies and other insects–how do they do it? Sheer force of will?
> Adaptation over time? Most scientists say mimicry<http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimicry>results from evolution.
>
>
>
> Nabokov, extremely learned on the topic, seems seriously unsatisfied by
> evolution as an explanation for mimicry. In his memoir, *Speak, Memory, *he
> foreshadows today’s discussions on intelligent design:
>
>
>
> When a certain moth resembles a certain wasp in shape and color, it also
> walks and moves its antennae in a waspish, unmothlike manner. When a
> butterfly has to look like a leaf, not only are all the details of a leaf
> beautifully rendered but markings mimicking grub-bored holes are generously
> thrown in. “Natural Selection,” in the Darwinian sense, could not explain
> the miraculous coincidence of imitative aspect and imitative behavior, nor
> could one appeal to the theory of “the struggle for life….”
>
>
> That a great mind like Nabokov’s doubted Darwin and challenged evolution
> makes us take pause. Surely it’s a testament to the infinite intrigue of
> butterflies.
>
>
>
>
> Search the archive<http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en> Contact
> the Editors <nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu> Visit "Nabokov
> Online Journal" <http://www.nabokovonline.com> Visit Zembla<http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm> View
> Nabokv-L Policies <http://web.utk.edu/%7Esblackwe/EDNote.htm> Manage
> subscription options <http://listserv.ucsb.edu/>
>
> All private editorial communications, without exception, are read by both
> co-editors.
>
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com
Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/
right wing Christian organization. They have nothing to do with actual
science or evolution. I'm ashamed that someone even sent this to a list
like this.
Emily Sours
"It was more probable that Lord Aylesford was in India on account of his
intrinsic merits, i.e. his ability to crawl about fashionable drawing rooms
on all fours and his willingness during these excursions to be beaten about
the rump by his fun-loving friends."
-Ronald Persall, The Worm in the Bud, The World of Victorian Sexuality
On Mon, Dec 6, 2010 at 5:25 PM, Sandy P. Klein <spklein52@hotmail.com>wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> http://texasbutterflyranch.wordpress.com/2010/12/05/butterflies-made-a-darwin-doubter-of-vladimir-nabokov/
>
> Butterflies Made a Darwin Doubter of Vladimir Nabokov
> Posted on December 5, 2010<http://texasbutterflyranch.wordpress.com/2010/12/05/butterflies-made-a-darwin-doubter-of-vladimir-nabokov/>
> by Monika Maeckle<http://texasbutterflyranch.wordpress.com/author/monikamaeckle/>
>
>
> The celebrated Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov embodies the best
> of right and left brain thinking. Known for his great novels (*Lolita*, *Pale
> Fire*, *Pnin*), he was also a passionate student of butterflies.
>
>
>
> *Viceroy Butterfly: A Mimic of the Monarch--can you tell the difference?*
>
>
> When he wasn’t producing world class literature, Nabokov served as a
> research fellow in entomology at Harvard while also teaching comparative
> literature at Wellesley. Nabokov published in such scientific journals as
> *The Entomologist*, *The Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology*, *The
> Lepidopterists’ News*, and *Psyche: A Journal of Entomology*.
>
>
>
> According to an article<http://www.evolutionnews.org/2008/07/vladimir_nabokov_furious_darwi008971.html>published by the Discovery Institute, a conservative think tank, Nabokov was
> so vexed by the notion of mimicry in nature–moths and caterpillars in
> particular–that he rejected Darwinism. Mimicry is the scientific rationale
> for creatures imitating a model to benefit from the model’s unique traits.
>
>
>
> For example, the Viceroy butterfly pictured above is considered a mimic of
> the Monarch, and benefits from the Monarch’s reputation as an untasty morsel
> to predators by appearing to be a Monarch. Yet Viceroy butterflies don’t
> eat milkweed whose latex toxins make it unsavory to birds and others.
> Viceroys host mostly on willows and poplars.
>
>
>
> In human beings, mimicry might be compared to those who dress like fashion
> models with the hope of benefiting from their borrowed beauty. But with
> butterflies and other insects–how do they do it? Sheer force of will?
> Adaptation over time? Most scientists say mimicry<http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimicry>results from evolution.
>
>
>
> Nabokov, extremely learned on the topic, seems seriously unsatisfied by
> evolution as an explanation for mimicry. In his memoir, *Speak, Memory, *he
> foreshadows today’s discussions on intelligent design:
>
>
>
> When a certain moth resembles a certain wasp in shape and color, it also
> walks and moves its antennae in a waspish, unmothlike manner. When a
> butterfly has to look like a leaf, not only are all the details of a leaf
> beautifully rendered but markings mimicking grub-bored holes are generously
> thrown in. “Natural Selection,” in the Darwinian sense, could not explain
> the miraculous coincidence of imitative aspect and imitative behavior, nor
> could one appeal to the theory of “the struggle for life….”
>
>
> That a great mind like Nabokov’s doubted Darwin and challenged evolution
> makes us take pause. Surely it’s a testament to the infinite intrigue of
> butterflies.
>
>
>
>
> Search the archive<http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en> Contact
> the Editors <nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu> Visit "Nabokov
> Online Journal" <http://www.nabokovonline.com> Visit Zembla<http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm> View
> Nabokv-L Policies <http://web.utk.edu/%7Esblackwe/EDNote.htm> Manage
> subscription options <http://listserv.ucsb.edu/>
>
> All private editorial communications, without exception, are read by both
> co-editors.
>
Search archive with Google:
http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=site:listserv.ucsb.edu&HL=en
Contact the Editors: mailto:nabokv-l@utk.edu,nabokv-l@holycross.edu
Visit Zembla: http://www.libraries.psu.edu/nabokov/zembla.htm
View Nabokv-L policies: http://web.utk.edu/~sblackwe/EDNote.htm
Visit "Nabokov Online Journal:" http://www.nabokovonline.com
Manage subscription options: http://listserv.ucsb.edu/