That's how things looked throughout much of the 20th century (the Modern Age was basically a fancy name the 20th century cooked up for itself). How different things appear in the 21st century. Marx and Freud have been rendered peripheral -- in the eyes of many, they have been effectively discredited -- by events ranging from the fall of the Soviet Union to the rise of psychopharmacology.
Darwin remains preeminent. More than that: As the most significant figure in the history of the biological sciences, which have increasingly come to dominate our lives and thought, he's become totemic. Darwin seems more relevant today than at any time, perhaps, in the nearly 150 years since he advanced his evolutionary theory of natural selection.
Darwin has become controversial, too, as he hasn't been since the first years after "On the Origin of Species" was published, in 1859 . That's thanks to religious fundamentalism (take that, Modern Age) and the emergence of intelligent design as a counter theory. So it's hard to imagine better timing for "Darwin," the handsome, comprehensive, and engaging exhibition on the great man's life and work that opened yesterday at the Museum of Science and runs through April 27.
Originating at the American Museum of Natural History , the show was presumably inspired by the imminence of the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth (1809) and 150th anniversary of "Origin of Species." Now it carries an inevitable political dimension, as well. The show doesn't shrink from addressing that, with sections on "Evolution, Today" and a film in which noted scientists discuss the intersection of natural selection and religion.
Among the many virtues of "Darwin" is its taking in not just cultural controversy but also childlike wonder. It's highly accessible without being either trivializing or reductive. Some of the most publicized Museum of Science exhibitions in recent years, such as "The Science of 'Star Wars' " and "Body Worlds 2," excelled at crowd-pleasing (and crowd-drawing) but not much else. In contrast, "Darwin" succeeds on many levels.
