Evolution,
biology, and indeed all of
science, are often criticized for being too
mechanical, and taking the
soul out of
life. The Origin of Species expresses very well the sense of
wonder and
awe that is imparted by careful study of the Natural world. This is exemplified in the often quoted (see anything by
Stephen Jay Gould) last sentence, which reads
"There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved."