Back to School

I once heard a friend, in conversation, blurt out, 'Darwin is crap'. I was embarassed for him for having come out with such a stupid statement. Another in the room agreed with him.  I thought , 'where am I and why am I wasting va;luable minutes of my life listening to such crap'. Darwin wrote one of the most important books ever written. I don't imagine either of the two people had read any Darwin. This is the point I want to make. I was just reading a piece about the author J G Ballard, I always read any article about hin, I like his mythology. I know Burroughs, Will Self and Michael Moorcock all kew and respected him. I have a grasp of what he contributed, yet what I have read of his work? Very little. Maybe 2 or 3 books. I didn't find them brilliant but quite good. Yet I put myself in the Ballard camp. I like Ballard. Now, people  have opinions on Darwin who have never read Darwin. People have opinions on Freud, opinions on Marx, on many major writers yet have never read them. They construct an idea of what Darwin, Marx or Freud was about  through newspaper and magazine articles, sometimes from books inspired by their work like Dawkins is by Darwin. They maybe watch a TV programme about them, chat in pubs about them, then they feel they have the right to an opinion. I say, go back to school, read Darwin then come tell me he is crap, otherwise, you are talking out ofd your arse.