I've always assumed that you can't label yourself as an 'intellectual'. And if you want some 'help' from me (which you probably don't), I would lose that massive chip on your shoulder - no-one is claiming to be more intelligent or 'better' than you. Conversely, I'm not convinced that you are 'better' than me because you claim to be 'more spiritual' than I am!

Getting back to the previous topic, wisdom always seems to be based on the thoughts of those that came before. There may have been a time, in the distant past, when one could have completely 'original thoughts' - but it's much more difficult at this time in history. Nevertheless, it seems that gifted individuals can build upon the thoughts of others and gain new insights into the way that the world works - sometimes merely by viewing the insights of others from a novel direction or by realising that something is missing and filling in the gaps. Many great scientists have taken existing tools created by others - like theoretical mathematical techniques, for example - and found that they could be applied to solve real world problems - sometimes in completely unexpected ways. One of the greatest scientists of all time, Isaac Newton, is said to have said, "I stand on the shoulders of giants".

And that brings us neatly back to Charles Darwin, the Theory of Evolution, his daughter's tragic death, the possible effects of that death on his religious convictions and their possible effects on his theory. As I wrote in a previous post, Lizzie, the Theory of Evolution wasn't just down to Darwin (even though he now tends to take the credit) - it was independently discovered or formulated by Alfred Russel Wallace. The Theory of Evolution was 'in the scientific air' in the mid-19th century and would have emerged anyway with or without Darwin (which is not to detract from Darwin's achievements).