Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

James Watson, the famous geneticist who discovered DNA and how it works was stripped of his honorary titles over racist comments. Watson criticized the intelligence of black people as the reason why they have so many problems in Africa. He also criticized black employees. The comments were ugly but they are grounded in the inherently racist worldview of Charles Darwin. We forget that the full title of Darwin's Origin of Species is  "the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life. This doesn't differ from Watson's repugnant statements.  So why isn't Darwin criticized more? You may be asking why this even matters. It's because the question of evolution is unchallenged in academic circles and it has negative consequences in society. But we're learning that this sacred cow of a worldview is incompatible with America's ideal of human dignity and James Watson is learning that the hard way.