391:"Evolution itself is accepted by zoologists not because it has been observed to occur or is supported by logically coherent arguments, but because it does fit all the facts of Taxonomy, of Palaeontology, and of Geographical Distribution, and because no alternative explanation is credible. But whilst the fact of evolution is accepted by every biologist the mode in which it has occurred and the mechanism by which it has been brought about are still disputable. The only two ' theories of Evolution ' which have gained any general currency, those of Lamark and of Darwin, rest on a most insecure basis;the validity of the assumptions on which they rest has seldom been seriously examined, and they do not interest most of the younger zoologists..."
399:"The extraordinary lack of evidence to show that the incidence of death under natural conditions is controlled by small differences of the kind which separate species from one another or, what is the same thing from an observational point of view, by physiological differences correlated with such structural features, renders it difficult to appeal to natural selection as the main or indeed an important factor in bringing about the evolutionary changes which we know to have occurred.
678:
378:'Evolution itself is accepted by zoologists not because it has been observed to occur or . . . can be proved by logically coherent evidence to be true, but because the only alternative, special creation, is clearly incredible ' (Report of the 97th meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, 1929, pp. 88, 95).
402:
It may be important, it may indeed be the principle which overrides all others; but at present its real existence as a phenomenon rests on an extremely slender basis. The extreme difficulty of obtaining the necessary data for any quantitative estimation of the efficiency of natural selection makes it
373:
This quotation of Watson is often used in
Creationist writings in an attempt to show that Watson, and thus by extension promoters of evolution in general, dismiss creationism due to antitheistic bias. A slightly different version of the quotation, derived accurately from a secondhand source, is
406:
If so, it will present a parallel to the Theory of
Evolution itself, a theory universally accepted, not because it can be proved by logically coherent evidence to be true, but because the only alternative, Special Creation , is clearly incredible."
386:
The second version of the quotation, given above, is formed by combining the introduction and conclusion of a passage in Watson's paper, one from the first line and one from the last line. The first passage reads:
369:
the Theory of
Evolution itself, a theory universally accepted, not because it can be proved by logically coherent evidence to be true, but because the only alternative, special creation, is clearly incredible.
184:
After World War I, Watson returned to academic study and in 1921 he succeeded Hill as the
Jodrell Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy and the curator of what is now the
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seem probable that this theory will be re-established, if it be so, by the collapse of alternative explanations which are more easily attacked by observation and experiment.
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at UCL. He devoted his energy to the development of the
Zoology department there and consolidated his position as a respected academician. In 1922 he was elected a
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612:(William Collins Sons & Co Ltd, Glasgow, 1978), p. 56; also in C. S. Lewis, "The Funeral of a Great Myth," in Hooper, Walter (ed.),
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He retired from his chair in 1951, but continued to study and publish at UCL until his full retirement in 1965. He was awarded the
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in 1937. At the outbreak of World War II he returned to
Britain to supervise the evacuation of the UCL Zoology department to
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After the war he continued to teach and to travel widely. He received many awards and academic honours including the
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137:. In 1912 he was appointed as a lecturer in Vertebrate Palaeontology, at University College London by Professor
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106:(who had an early career as a paleobotanist); after graduating with first class honours he was appointed as a
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258:, and honorary degrees from many universities in Britain and elsewhere. In 1941 Watson was awarded the
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After his MSc, Watson continued to develop his wide interest in fossils and studied intensively at the
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is named in his honour. It is UCL's second largest library and is in Malet Place adjacent to the
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In 1917 Watson married
Katharine Margarite Parker, and had two daughters: Katharine Mary and
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Watson's original statement first appeared in a 1929 article, "Adaptation," in the journal
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43:
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Report of the Ninety-Seventh
Meeting British Association for the Advancement of Science
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307:. He amassed a large collection of fossils from his wide travels to Africa and Spain.
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432:"Science and Government", the Earl Grey Memorial Lecture, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1942
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633:(Office of the British Association: London, 1929), 88-99 and can be accessed at
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Biographical Index of Former
Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002
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deposits. In 1907, his final year, he published an important paper on
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Many papers on vertebrate palaeontology and connected subjects in
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LLD (18 June 1886 – 23 July 1973) was the
Jodrell Professor of
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C. S. Lewis, "Is Theology Poetry?", in Hooper, Walter (ed.),
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His scientific research, besides his early original work on
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35:
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The Science library, known as the DMS Watson library, of
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75:, the only son of David Watson, a chemist and pioneering
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His academic work was eventually interrupted in 1916 by
204:; he spoke on "Paleontology and the Evolution of Man".
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in 1924. Four years later, he was invited to give the
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Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War I
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Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences
90:. He specialised in geology and began to study plant
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Jodrell Professors of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy
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Corresponding Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences
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Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society
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635:https://archive.org/details/reportofbritisha30adva
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110:fellow at Manchester and went on to complete his
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452:Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London
573:. National Academy of Sciences. Archived from
534:. The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006.
211:in 1931, which involved spending time in the
207:He was appointed to the British government's
780:People educated at Manchester Grammar School
273:in 1949 having previously won the Society's
180:Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy
616:(Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI, 1971), p. 85.)
152:. He was later transferred to the nascent
488:Parrington, F. R.; Westoll, T. S. (1974).
419:"Palaeontology and the Evolution of Man",
86:1899 to 1904 then studied Sciences at the
775:People from Broughton, Greater Manchester
637:. The quote discussed here is on page 95.
507:
490:"David Meredith Seares Watson. 1886-1973"
269:He was elected an Honorary Fellow of the
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435:"Paleontology and Modern Biology", the
374:sometimes used (e.g., by C. S. Lewis):
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760:Academics of University College London
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692:UCL Library Archive biographical notes
469:Category:Taxa named by D. M. S. Watson
358:Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology
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79:, and his wife, Mary Louise Seares.
663:, Vol. 124, 10 August 1929, p. 233.
24:
650:, Vol. 124, 10 August 1929, p. 231
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25:
811:
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597:The Nineteenth Century and After,
148:when he took a commission in the
119:British Museum of Natural History
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427:The Animal Bones from Skara Brae
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800:Military personnel from Salford
790:20th-century British zoologists
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640:
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395:The concluding passage reads:
13:
1:
659:D.M.S. Watson, "Adaptation,"
646:D.M.S. Watson, "Adaptation,"
625:D.M.S. Watson, "Adaptation,"
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344:"), are named in his honour.
299:, was chiefly concerned with
209:Agricultural Research Council
150:Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
58:
735:Fellows of the Royal Society
683:David Meredith Seares Watson
264:National Academy of Sciences
256:Geological Society of London
125:, and on extended visits to
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29:David Meredith Seares Watson
18:David Meredith Seares Watson
7:
571:"Mary Clark Thompson Medal"
462:
310:He died on 23 July 1973 in
190:Fellow of the Royal Society
10:
816:
701:, retrieved November 2005.
610:Screwtape Proposes a Toast
595:"Science and the B.B.C.,"
448:Philosophical Transactions
271:Royal Society of Edinburgh
48:University College, London
437:Silliman Memorial Lecture
354:University College London
282:Linnean Society of London
275:Makdougall-Brisbane Prize
260:Mary Clark Thompson Medal
84:Manchester Grammar School
697:22 February 2016 at the
301:vertebrate palaeontology
277:for the period 1936–38.
88:University of Manchester
755:Wollaston Medal winners
186:Grant Museum of Zoology
63:Watson was born in the
509:10.1098/rsbm.1974.0021
411:
393:
380:
371:
614:Christian Reflections
397:
389:
376:
367:
225:Food Policy Committee
215:where he lectured at
168:Marriage and children
286:Darwin-Wallace Medal
202:University of Oxford
192:, where he gave the
785:British taxonomists
765:Royal Navy officers
750:Lyell Medal winners
730:English taxonomists
577:on 29 December 2010
156:where he worked on
82:He was educated at
50:from 1921 to 1951.
44:Comparative Anatomy
725:English zoologists
681:Works by or about
456:Journal of Anatomy
348:DMS Watson Library
541:978-0-902198-84-5
16:(Redirected from
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544:. Archived from
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194:Croonian Lecture
139:James Peter Hill
65:Higher Broughton
21:
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699:Wayback Machine
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551:on 4 March 2016
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441:Yale University
421:Romanes Lecture
416:
414:Published works
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326:ray-finned fish
305:fossil reptiles
284:'s prestigious
252:Wollaston Medal
248:Linnean Society
217:Yale University
198:Romanes Lecture
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164:fabric design.
154:Royal Air Force
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364:Famous quotes
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331:Watsonichthys
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303:, especially
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579:. Retrieved
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127:South Africa
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104:Marie Stopes
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77:metallurgist
67:district of
62:
28:
26:
720:1973 deaths
715:1886 births
599:April 1943.
581:14 February
502:: 482–504.
229:War Cabinet
146:World War I
709:Categories
687:Wikisource
475:References
337:Watsonulus
297:coal balls
174:Janet Vida
133:, and the
100:coal balls
73:Lancashire
59:Early life
288:in 1958.
262:from the
254:from the
246:from the
238:from the
131:Australia
114:in 1909.
54:Biography
695:Archived
555:28 March
463:See also
342:Watsonia
312:Midhurst
384:Nature:
227:of the
200:at the
162:airship
158:balloon
92:fossils
69:Salford
40:Zoology
661:Nature
648:Nature
627:Nature
538:
443:, 1951
429:(1931)
323:fossil
316:Surrey
250:, the
242:, the
123:London
549:(PDF)
532:(PDF)
108:Beyer
102:with
34:FGS H
27:Prof
583:2011
557:2019
536:ISBN
334:and
321:Two
295:and
160:and
96:coal
42:and
36:FRSE
685:at
504:doi
340:(="
121:in
112:MSc
94:in
46:at
32:FRS
711::
518:^
500:20
498:.
492:.
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360:.
328:,
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231:.
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141:.
129:,
71:,
585:.
559:.
512:.
506::
20:)
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