Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying, Essay Example

While the documentary, “DNA, Genetics, and Evolution: Documentary on the Living Science of Evolution” proves engaging in its use of images from the beginning, although presenting their focus on Darwin by touting his theories as “the best idea anyone has ever had” defined the subjective nature of science within the documentary as a whole. Fortunately, the documentarians freely admit- thirty minutes in- that Darwin himself expressed his regret about the holes in his natural selection and evolution theories, but these theories which he did support have stood the test of time and largely been verified and further supported.

The down-to-earth approach of the documentary and the many visuals and images makes the information much more accessible, especially for a claim as controversial as the fish ancestry of humankind. This closely ties in with Darwin’s theories of the connections between all living things, the ‘tree of life’. DNA technology and analysis supports and clarifies the branches in Darwin’s theoretical tree- even though, as one researcher points out, the difference between chimpanzee and human blood accounts for less than one percent. The evolution of wood-mice and their darker coloration and the beak evolution of modern finches support a faster process of evolution than was thought possible. The documentary thoroughly poses and explores theories and questions, presents viable answers, and generally allows the viewer to come to their own conclusions.

Darwin might have appreciated the direct approach of summarizing his “survival of the fittest” theories as an early “Get busy living or get busy dying” how-to of evolution. In other words, natural selection decides what assets a living animal needs and genetically experiments with potential answers to the problem. Human helplessness in the face of genetic predestination ironically reflects the attitude which many early, pro-Christian critics of Darwin supported with personal belief. The answer likely falls between science and mystery.

Works Cited

“DNA, Genetics, and Evolution: Documentary on the Living Science of Evolution” Retrieved July 22, 2015 from <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-p3p32wk_0>. 2014.