This special issue commemorates the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin. One hundred and fifty years after the publication of his book Origin of Species, the basic elements of his theory of evolution are widely accepted as truth and influence practically every branch of knowledge today.

During Darwin’s bicentennial year, his praises have been sung in conferences and publications around the world. This publication won’t join that chorus. Ours is a discordant note. Though trained in science, the contributors to this issue of Back to Godhead see the world primarily through the lens of the Vedic scriptures and the great spiritual teachers guided by them. They view Darwin’s ideas as the product of a speculative mind. Mental speculation, or guesswork, the Vedas tell us, cannot possibly reveal perfect truth. But rather than dismiss Darwin’s ideas on this basis alone, the authors in this issue present scientific arguments against them. How, for example, could the prototypical no-frills fish evolve step-by-step, by random mutations, into a fish that lets a smaller fish enter its mouth to clean its teeth?

Can Hare Krishna scientists beat materialistic scientists at their own game? Read on, and judge for yourself.

Hare Krishna.—Nagaraja Dasa, Editor