Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Charles Darwin

2007-05-22T09:43:41Z

SingleUse: references

[[Image:darwin.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Charles Darwin]]
'''Charles Robert Darwin''' (12 February 1809 - 19 April 1883) was a famous naturalist born in [[England]]. He is best known for the [[Theory of Natural Selection|theory of natural selection]] which has since been almost universally accepted by biologists as the major mechanism for [[Theory of Evolution|evolution]]. The concept is that biological species develop over time via natural selection, branching from common origins. Outside of evolution in particular, he was regarded as an expert on barnacles, as well as being credited with discovering how coral atolls were formed.
==Early Life==
Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England in 1809 to his parents Dr. Robert Darwin and Susannah Wedgewood. Darwin's mother was very religious but his father was a freethinker and wasn't as constricted by the repressive religious beliefs that existed at that time. Despite his lack of religious belief, Darwin's old man allowed Charles to be baptized into the Anglican Church. Darwin's mother died when Charles was very young. After his mother died, Charles attended a nearby Anglican school in 1818. In 1825 he helped his father treating poor people in Shopshire and went on to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He was turned off by the brutality of surgery and neglected his medical studies. At the university he learned taxidermy from a free black slave named John Edmonstone. John also told the young Charles exciting tales about the South American Amazon and also about the brutalities of slavery. Because of this experience, Darwin went on to hate slavery.

==Religious Beliefs==
[[Image:CharlesDarwin.jpg|thumb|150px|left|Charles Darwin in 1880 at the age of 71.]]
Charles Darwin was a Christian up and through his famous five year voyage on the ''HMS Beagle''. But in the ensuing two years after returning to England (1836 to 1839; and in his late twenties) Darwin abandoned Christianity <ref>Mayr, Ernst ''Growth of Biological Thought'' (1982:402).</ref> and had become an agnostic <ref>Mayr, Ernst ''One Long Argument'' (1991:75).</ref>. About twenty years later in 1859 (at the age of fifty) Darwin published his famous book ''The Origin of Species''. "In order not to hurt the feelings of his friends and wife, Darwin often used deistic language in his publications" <ref>Ibid. (1991:75).</ref>. According to Darwin the "manifestly false history of the world" <ref>Barlow, Nora (editor) ''The Autobiography of Charles Darwin'' (1958:85).</ref> as recorded in the Old Testament and New Testament miracles led him to reject Biblical veracity <ref>Ibid. (1958:85-87).</ref>. Eminent Darwin biographer, Professor Janet Browne, sums up Darwin's views concerning religion: Darwin "mapped out a comparative evolution of the religious sense, proposing that religious belief was ultimately nothing more than a primitive urge to bestow a cause on otherwise inexplicable natural events...In short, he made no secret of his view that he did not believe religion to have any rational foundation at all" <ref>Browne, Janet ''Charles Darwin The Power of Place'' (2002:341)</ref>. When he died in 1882 at the age of seventy-three, Darwin was buried at Westminster Abbey next to Sir [[Isaac Newton]].

Though Darwin wrote of religion as a tribal survival strategy, he still believed that God was the ultimate lawgiver. His belief dwindled, and with the death of his daughter Annie in 1851, Darwin finally lost all faith in Christianity. He continued to help the local church with parish work, but on Sundays would go for a walk while his family attended church. He now thought it better to look at pain and suffering as the result of general laws rather than direct intervention by God. When asked about his religious views, he wrote that he had never been an atheist in the sense of denying the existence of a God, and that generally "an Agnostic would be the more correct description of my state of mind."

It is interesting that ''both'' of Darwin's grandfathers (the physician and poet Erasmus Darwin, and the pottery manufacturer Josiah Wedgwood) were members of the [[Lunar Society]], a private club devoted to science, philosophy, and free thinking based in [[Birmingham]], [[England]], which was largely responsible for starting the industrial revolution, and also numbered amongst its members the American scientist and politician Benjamin Franklin.

There is a false rumor that on his deathbed Darwin recanted his theory. This is a myth supposedly started by Sir James Hope's widow. Darwin's daughter, Henrietta, said that, "Darwin never recanted any of his scientific views, either then [on his deathbed] or earlier. <ref> [[Exploring Creation with Biology]], by Dr. Jay L. Wile and Marilyn F. Durnell, Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc., 2005. </ref>

== References ==

*(7) Kevles, B., Females of the Species: Sex and Survival in the Animal Kingdom, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, p. 8, 1986.
<references/>
[[Category:Naturalists|Darwin, Charles]]
[[Category:Biologists|Darwin, Charles]]

Hallucinogen

2007-05-22T09:38:47Z

SingleUse: typo

A '''hallucinogen''' is a pharmacological substance that when ingested causes the mind to circumvent reality.<ref>[http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/hallucinogens?utm_term=hallucinogen&utm_medium=mw&utm_campaign=article] Hallucinogens Information on Healthline</ref> Distortions may range from enhancement of the senses so that colors or sounds appear amplified or distorted, the feeling of flying and the absence of pain. Hallucinogenic substances may be synthetically manufactured in a laboratory like [[LSD]] or derive from natural plant (e.g [[peyote]], [[cannabis]]), [[fungi]] (e.g [[magic mushrooms]]) or animal ([[Colorado River toad]]) sources.

Natural sources have long been used in shamanic cultures as a way of communicating with the spirits or gods, or as a means of divination and prophesy.

Only a few hallucinogens actually produce ''hallucinations'' where things that are not real, appear to be realistic.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Illegal substances]]

Hallucinogen

2007-05-22T09:38:13Z

SingleUse: typo

A '''hallucinogen''' is a pharmacological substance that when ingested causes the mind to circumvent reality.<ref>[http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/hallucinogens?utm_term=hallucinogen&utm_medium=mw&utm_campaign=article] Hallucinogens Information on Healthline</ref> Distortions may range from enhancement of the senses so that colors or sounds appear amplified or distorted, the feeling of flying and the and the absence of pain. Hallucinogenic substances may be synthetically manufactured in a laboratory like [[LSD]] or derive from natural plant (e.g [[peyote]], [[cannabis]]), [[fungi]] (e.g [[magic mushrooms]]) or animal ([[Colorado River toad]]) sources.

Natural sources have long been used in shamanic cultures as a way of communicating with the spirits or gods, or as a means of divination and prophesy.

Only a few hallucinogens actually produce ''hallucinations'' where things that are not real, appear to be realistic.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Illegal substances]]

Talk:France

2007-05-22T09:27:35Z

SingleUse: /* Astérix and Obélix */ +

== References ==

The references in this article don't seem to be working properly - can somebody fix them?

== Politics ==

Unless you go into a full discussion of France's politics, which could very well happen in the future, I suppose, the statement about France not supporting the invasion of Iraq seems to be a bit irrelevant. Are we going to list every single country's stance on the Iraq war?
-[[User:Commodore Guff|Commodore Guff]] 14:52, 8 March 2007 (EST)

:It is very important to know who is "with us" and who is "against us".</sarcasm> (Seriously: I technically agree, but I'd leave it in so that a politics section can grow around it.) --[[User:Sid 3050|Sid 3050]] 16:33, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

:Seriously if you want an unbiased article then one country's (i.e; Americas) opinion on another really does have no place in it... --[[User:Daerean|Daerean]] 12:24, 18 March 2007 (EDT)

== Spelling ==

I made a bunch of fixes to the non-American spellings in this article. Let's keep those double-L's (rivalled) and silent U's (behaviour) out of Conservapedia as per the Commandments.

== War on Terror ==

Why do we find under Germany :

War on Terror

Germany currently contributes troops to the NATO-led operation in Afghanistan, but did not support the invasion of Iraq.

And why it is not showing the same information under France?
See: http://www.nato.int/ISAF/index.htm

Also, the last comment about the French kings after Clovis is showing that the writer of this article has no knowledge of French history.

March 2003-I didn't realize that they found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. What is your source for this statement?

== Astérix and Obélix ==

Those are not heroes of the french history, but purely fictional characters. So is their story. There was no little chiefdom remaining independent from Rome. [[User:SillyGirl|SillyGirl]] 11:03, 19 May 2007 (EDT)
:I entirelly removed the reference. Unless one want to consider, say, "Independence Day" (the movie), as facts (just for comparison). [[User:SingleUse|SingleUse]] 05:27, 22 May 2007 (EDT)

France

2007-05-22T09:25:44Z

SingleUse: /* Gaul */ those are fiction.

{| border="1" align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="300" style="margin-left:5px"
|align="center" colspan="2"|
|-
!colspan="2" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: white no-repeat scroll top left;"|France
|-
!colspan="2" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: white no-repeat scroll top left;"|[[Image:map_of_france.jpg]]
Map of France
|-
!colspan="2" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: white no-repeat scroll top left;"|[[Image:FranceE_3.gif‎]]
Flag of the French Fifth Republic
|-
|Capital
|[[Paris]]
|-
|Government
|Republic
|-
|Official Language
|[[French]]
|-
|President
|[[Nicolas Sarkozy]]
|-
|Prime Minister
|[[François Fillon]]
|-
|Area
|260,558 sq. mi.
|-
|Population (2007 estimate)
|64,102,140
|-
|GDP (2007 estimate)
|1.871 trillion
|-
|GDP per capita (2007 estimate)
|$30,100
|-
|}
'''France''' (Official title: French Republic/République française) is a country in Western [[Europe]].

At its height, the French Empire rivaled the British Empire, with colonies in every corner of the world. It continues to be a strong presence in academia and has been the birthplace of countless renowned scholars. It remains a powerhouse in the [[European Union]], often at odds with the [[United Kingdom]] on issues of EU policy. The capital city is Paris, often called the "City of Lights" due to its renown for a center of learning and philosophy.

France is also renowned for its cuisine and its wines. Good food is highly valued in France.

It was a founding member of the European Coal and Steel treaty which led to the EEC and EU. It greatly assisted then-Great Britain's North American colonies both militarily and financially in their effort to gain independence, and established universal legal codes in much of the non-Anglo-Saxon west. It has made a number of philosophical contributions to the world, including Descartes and Sartre, existentialism and post modernism. It gifted the Statue of Liberty to the USA in celebration of its independence, echoing the French aid given to the colonies during the American Revolutionary War.

In March 2003, France was one of over a hundred nations that did not participate in the alliance that liberated [[Iraq]], with its aim of removing the [[Baathist]] regime of the dictator [[Saddam Hussein]], though France had committed substantial forces to the First [[Gulf War]]. French forces did, however, participate in the war in Afghanistan, and suffered casualties in the fighting [http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2004/oef.casualties/,/]

==Gaul==
Back during the time of the [[Roman Republic]], France was a territory called Gaul, populated by Celtic tribes. [[Julius Caesar]] conquered Gaul, thanks to the lack of unity among the tribes. Gaul remained an important part of the [[Roman Empire]] for several centuries.

==Frankland under Clovis==
France is named after the Franks, a Saxon tribe who established Soissons, the capital. A Frank called [[Clovis]] united the Franks and established Frankland. Franks were pagans but Clovis converted to Christianity (legend has it he prayed to Christ during a difficult battle, offering to become a Christian in exchange for victory ; shortly after that, the enemy fled).

==See also==
*[[French Wars]]

[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:EU Members]]
[[Category:NATO members]]
[[Category:France| ]]

France

2007-05-22T09:23:39Z

SingleUse: typos

{| border="1" align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="300" style="margin-left:5px"
|align="center" colspan="2"|
|-
!colspan="2" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: white no-repeat scroll top left;"|France
|-
!colspan="2" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: white no-repeat scroll top left;"|[[Image:map_of_france.jpg]]
Map of France
|-
!colspan="2" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: white no-repeat scroll top left;"|[[Image:FranceE_3.gif‎]]
Flag of the French Fifth Republic
|-
|Capital
|[[Paris]]
|-
|Government
|Republic
|-
|Official Language
|[[French]]
|-
|President
|[[Nicolas Sarkozy]]
|-
|Prime Minister
|[[François Fillon]]
|-
|Area
|260,558 sq. mi.
|-
|Population (2007 estimate)
|64,102,140
|-
|GDP (2007 estimate)
|1.871 trillion
|-
|GDP per capita (2007 estimate)
|$30,100
|-
|}
'''France''' (Official title: French Republic/République française) is a country in Western [[Europe]].

At its height, the French Empire rivaled the British Empire, with colonies in every corner of the world. It continues to be a strong presence in academia and has been the birthplace of countless renowned scholars. It remains a powerhouse in the [[European Union]], often at odds with the [[United Kingdom]] on issues of EU policy. The capital city is Paris, often called the "City of Lights" due to its renown for a center of learning and philosophy.

France is also renowned for its cuisine and its wines. Good food is highly valued in France.

It was a founding member of the European Coal and Steel treaty which led to the EEC and EU. It greatly assisted then-Great Britain's North American colonies both militarily and financially in their effort to gain independence, and established universal legal codes in much of the non-Anglo-Saxon west. It has made a number of philosophical contributions to the world, including Descartes and Sartre, existentialism and post modernism. It gifted the Statue of Liberty to the USA in celebration of its independence, echoing the French aid given to the colonies during the American Revolutionary War.

In March 2003, France was one of over a hundred nations that did not participate in the alliance that liberated [[Iraq]], with its aim of removing the [[Baathist]] regime of the dictator [[Saddam Hussein]], though France had committed substantial forces to the First [[Gulf War]]. French forces did, however, participate in the war in Afghanistan, and suffered casualties in the fighting [http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2004/oef.casualties/,/]

==Gaul==
Back during the time of the [[Roman Republic]], France was a territory called Gaul, populated by Celtic tribes. [[Julius Caesar]] conquered Gaul, thanks to the lack of unity among the tribes. Gaul remained an important part of the [[Roman Empire]] for several centuries. Only one chiefdom in North-West France remained completely independent of the Roman occupation and their struggle for independence was immortalised in French legend in the stories of their hero, Astérix. The myths were popularised in the second half of the twentieth century by the series of French comic books<ref>[http://www.asterix.com/]</ref> featuring the hero and his friend, Obélix.

==Frankland under Clovis==
France is named after the Franks, a Saxon tribe who established Soissons, the capital. A Frank called [[Clovis]] united the Franks and established Frankland. Franks were pagans but Clovis converted to Christianity (legend has it he prayed to Christ during a difficult battle, offering to become a Christian in exchange for victory ; shortly after that, the enemy fled).

==See also==
*[[French Wars]]

[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:EU Members]]
[[Category:NATO members]]
[[Category:France| ]]