Parallels with Darwinism
Bret Walker SC put mountaineer Tim Macartney-Snape’s renowned endurance to the test this week as he defended himself and Jeremy Griffith’s biological thesis during three days of detailed cross-examination that concluded on Friday afternoon.
Late on Thursday, evidence was tendered about a club the FHA established in 1992 named after Thomas Huxley, renowned supporter of the naturalist Charles Darwin.
Under cross-examination, Mr Macartney-Snape insisted the “Darwin-Huxley parallel” was not confined to him and Mr Griffith. “The Huxley Club was set up for anyone interested,” he said.
On Friday, Mr Macartney-Snape vigorously refuted Mr Walker’s suggestion that references to Mr Griffith’s ideas in his speech day address at Geelong Grammar School in 1993 were inappropriate.
“If Thomas Huxley had hypothetically answered an invitation to talk at a speech day at Eton and he talked about Darwin’s ideas, I think there’s a good similarity there. I don’t think people would see him as recruiting people to the Darwinian model. He was simply introducing them to new, interesting ideas,” he said.
“I would hope that Huxley would have expected the students to make up their own minds,” he added.
Pressed by Mr Walker, Mr Macartney-Snape reiterated that his support for Mr Griffith’s work was well known in the general community at the time of his speech day addresses.
“My support of Mr Griffith was well known in many publications, including my own book, which by that time had been published and sold extensively around Australia.”
Asked to elaborate by Justice David Kirby, the climber outlined a range of publications and events in which he said his support for Mr Griffith’s work was clear.
“There was an article in The Bulletin in 1988 about the launch of Mr Griffith’s first book, in which I am quoted. In 1990 I took the FHA symbol to Mt Everest and in my public lectures around Australia after Everest, many thousands of people attended … and I mentioned my support briefly to explain why I had the flag there. Plus there was an article in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age colour supplement in 1991. And there was Millikan’s review.”
The case continues on Monday morning. The plaintiffs are expected to call Belgium-based Major Dr William Casebeer, philosopher and cognitive scientist, to give evidence as to the scientific and scholarly merit of Mr Griffith’s work.
