Darwin's Origin of Species evolves to a Tweet
Theos, the public theology think tank, has launched a search for the best 'tweet' of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species.
Fans of Britain's most famous scientist are being asked to encapsulate the over 600-page seminal work into 140-character tweets on the popular Twitter website.
The competition comes ahead of tomorrow's (Tuesday) 150th anniversary of the publication of the book, which sets out Darwin's theory of evolution.
It also coincides with the publication of the fourth and final report in the Theos Rescuing Darwin series, part of a wider project which has been running throughout 2009.
The latest report comprises interviews with 50 opinion formers, including church ministers, representatives of creationist organisations, academics and teachers who are sceptical of evolution (eg Young and Old – Earth Creationists and proponents of Intelligent Design) in order to understand why they believe what they believe.
To enter the Twitter competition, users of the micro-blogging site are being asked to submit their 140-word message, adding the hash tag 'Darwin' to their tweet.
In its search for the best tweet, Theos has offered some suggestions to inspire Tweeters in their efforts. They include:
By random variation, I am a monkey too stupid to find bananas. Oh dear.
The weak will die. The strong will survive. As simple as that.
Organisms vary. Nature selects. The best survive to breed. Species evolve. Naturalists collect. There’s nothing else we need.
Species are so different from each other, and dependent on each other in so complex a manner.
Populations evolve through natural selection. Diversity is the result of a branching pattern of evolution and common descent.
Nature is a cosmic pigeon fancier, selecting life’s best variations to fill the world with endless forms most beautiful – including us.
Tomorrow, Nick Spencer, Director of Studies at Theos, will be giving the Gore lecture on Darwin and God at Westminster Abbey. Two days later, a performance of Mr Darwin's Tree is taking place in the Chapel of King's College, London.
The Twitter winner, who will be announced at the end of November, will receive a copy of all four Rescuing Darwin reports, a signed copy of Nick Spencer's book, Darwin and God, and a VIP invitation to a performance of Mr Darwin's Tree.
Commenting on the search for the best tweet, the Director of Theos, Paul Woolley, said: "The aim of the Rescuing Darwin project has been to inform and challenge people's thinking about issues relating to Darwin and God. We hope that our search will not only engage the imaginations of Tweeters but also their interest in The Origin of Species.
"Throughout the year we have been trying to 'rescue' Darwin from the crossfire of a theological battle in which he had little personal interest. Over the past 11 months, we have distributed over 60,000 copies of the main report alone. We are delighted with the success of the project."
