Darwin’s Dilemma – a very interesting documentary on the Cambrian explosion of life, and how it throws a wrench into Darwinian evolution.
“The Cambrian explosion was the most remarkable and puzzling event in the history of life.”
Stephen Jay Gould, paleontologist
And that’s what’s at the heart of “Darwin’s Dilemma“. Darwinian evolution requires a slow progress of life, with new species appearing after millions of years. But in the Cambrian age, according to the fossil evidence, that’s not what happened. Now, Charles Darwin knew about the problem, as the documentary makes clear. But Darwin hoped that future scientists would find the evidence of the numerous generations of ancestors to the vast number of Cambrian life forms — the Cambrian explosion.
That hasn’t happened. And, it’s a virtual certainty that it won’t. Which the documentary also makes clear.
The cinematography is excellent, as is the computer-generated recreation of the various ancient Cambrian life forms. Hence, the trilobite on the cover.
There are other issues that the documentary deals with. For example, where did the additional genetic material come from, for the more advanced descendants of the simpler life forms? How much more complex the “simple” life forms are, than Charles Darwin could have imagined. This isn’t an insult to Darwin. He had the technical and scientific information of his time. But with current knowledge, the issue becomes even larger.
My wife and I recently watched Darwin’s Dilemma on Tubi TV, and enjoyed it very much. I’m a bit of a science geek, so of course your mileage may vary.
Product Description
Darwin’s Dilemma examines what many consider to be the most powerful refutation of Darwinian evolution – the Cambrian fossil record.
Charles Darwin realized that the fossil evidence did not support his theory of gradual, step-by-step evolutionary development. He hoped that future generations of scientists would make the discoveries necessary to validate his ideas.
Today, after more than 150 years of exploration fossil evidence of slow, incremental biological change has yet to be excavated. Instead, we find a picture of the rapid appearance of fully developed, complex organisms during the outset of the Cambrian geological era. Organisms that embody the major animal body plans that exist today. This remarkable explosion of life is truly Darwin’s Dilemma and is best explained by the existence of a transcendent intelligence.
