Thou Shalt Not Anthropomorphize Natural Selection.
But Darwin did anthropomorphize natural selection:
If man can by patience select variations useful to him, why, under changing and complex conditions of life, should not variations useful to nature’s living products often arise, and be preserved or selected? What limit can be put to this power, acting during long ages and rigidly scrutinising the whole constitution, structure, and habits of each creature,- favouring the good and rejecting the bad? I can see no limit to this power, in slowly and beautifully adapting each form
to the most complex relations of life.
So, anthropomorphizing natural selection is scientific terminology with well understood meaning among the educated. When using this terminology to the less educated it is necessary to qualify, explain, and clarify, but such qualification and clarification should not be needed among the intelligent and educated.
Metaphorical anthropomorphizing is fine so long as everyone is on the same page about what the metaphor is and it doesn’t lead to any equivocations or confusions. Constant’s use of anthropomorphizing language seems to have lead to him making a very troubling equivocation between what ‘harms’ genes and what harms human beings. One good strategy for clearing up such confusions is moving away from metaphorical language.
But Darwin did anthropomorphize natural selection:
So?
So, anthropomorphizing natural selection is scientific terminology with well understood meaning among the educated. When using this terminology to the less educated it is necessary to qualify, explain, and clarify, but such qualification and clarification should not be needed among the intelligent and educated.
Among the many things Darwin did, some could be called science. Anthropomorphizing natural evolution is not one of the science-things he did.
Language means what the great use it to mean. You can disapprove of that usage, but misunderstanding the meaning is not a sign of superiority.
Misunderstanding indeed isn’t a sign of superiority, but neither is being misunderstood.
Metaphorical anthropomorphizing is fine so long as everyone is on the same page about what the metaphor is and it doesn’t lead to any equivocations or confusions. Constant’s use of anthropomorphizing language seems to have lead to him making a very troubling equivocation between what ‘harms’ genes and what harms human beings. One good strategy for clearing up such confusions is moving away from metaphorical language.