ACA Lecture SeriesSteve Bratteng: Dr. Darwin Makes a House Call2010-10-03 Exploring Darwinian medicine is one of the best ways to see the connection of evolution to the lives of each one of us. Darwinian medicine is the search for evolutionary explanations for human ailments. Its main premise is that we, as organisms that have evolved, have various features that are a result of our evolutionary past, and that many of these affect our health. A good account of Darwin Medicine can be found in the article, "Evolution and the Origins of Disease," by Randolph Nesse and George Williams which was published in Scientific American (November 1998). This article is essentially an updated synopsis of their groundbreaking book, "Why We Get Sick." There are five main topics involved in Darwinian medicine as described in the Nesse and Williams article: 1) Evolved defenses, 2) Interactions with other organisms, 3) Novel situations, 4) Trade offs, and 5) Historical constraints. The lecture explores how many of human maladies can be explained in these terms.The ACA Lecture Series is a monthly event in Austin, Texas geared at a non-atheist audience. Lectures are generally free and open to the public. The ACA Lecture Series is produced by the Atheist Community of Austin. The Atheist Community of Austin is organized as a nonprofit educational corporation to develop and support the atheist community, to provide opportunities for socializing and friendship, to promote secular viewpoints, to encourage positive atheist culture, to defend the first amendment principle of state-church separation, to oppose discrimination against atheists and to work with other organizations in pursuit of common goals.
The Atheist Experience is a weekly cable access television show in Austin, Texas geared at a non-atheist audience. The Atheist Experience is produced by the Atheist Community of Austin. The Atheist Community of Austin is organized as a nonprofit educational corporation to develop and support the atheist community, to provide opportunities for socializing and friendship, to promote secular viewpoints, to encourage positive atheist culture, to defend the first amendment principle of state-church separation, to oppose discrimination against atheists and to work with other organizations in pursuit of common goals. DVDs of the Atheist Experience can be purchased via atheist-community.org/products. More shows and media types can be found in our archive and our fan page.
