All language subtitles for Butterfly.Effect.S01E07_English

- [Narrator] Our history
is no more than a series

of incredible events.

Each one of us can
influence its course.

The tiniest of our decisions

can influence the
future of mankind.

To know the past is to
anticipate the future.

(gentle instrumental music)

(dramatic instrumental music)

19th century England.

A little boy is
running frantically

to get to school on time.

His name is Charles Darwin.

December 27th, 1831.

Darwin, now age 22,
boards the Beagle,

a Royal Naval vessel.

1859, London.

Customers in a book
shop jostle for copies

of On the Origin of Species,
his most famous book.

These three intimately
connected events

will lead to the development

and then to the spread of
the Theory of Evolution

which will turn our way of
seeing the world upside down.

(lively instrumental music)

Our story takes place
in the 19th century

in a world that
is changing fast.

Invented just a few
decades earlier,

the steam engine is
about to take humanity

into a new era.

(train whistling)

Free of the Napoleonic Wars,

the United Kingdom
sends its ships out

to conquer the world.

This is the age
of steam engines,

of industrialization and
great scientific discoveries.

At the beginning of the century,

the United Kingdom is
a prosperous country

of 16 million inhabitants.

Cut off from the
continent by the Channel,

the island has long
banked upon its fleet.

The Royal Navy is synonymous
with prestige and power.

In the following century, one
in four of the Earth's people

will be a subject of
the British empire.

The power of the United
Kingdom is unrivaled.

The inventor of
the steam engine,

the country is sacrificing
its agriculture

and staking everything
on coal and industry.

(dramatic instrumental music)

The England of the
19th century is teeming

with scientists, writers,
architects, and free
thinkers.

In London, people are
passionate
about the new sciences,

such as paleontology,
the first steam ships,

or the huge metallic
structures
of suspension bridges.

The English scientists
are aware they're living

through a unique moment.

The Victorian Age is a
veritable explosion of
knowledge

and everybody wants
to play a part.

- [Narrator] Welcome to
the memory of humanity.

(gentle instrumental music)

Here, we can control time,

analyze and compare
billions of events,

and alter them to rewrite
history endlessly.

Our contemporary creations
from the cell phone

to artificial hearts are
the distant descendants

of generations of inventions.

Let's go back in time to 5,000
years ago in Mesopotamia.

The Sumerians invent
a counting system

based not on 10 units but on 60.

Our minutes and seconds
have just been born.

A little later, Egypt divides
the year into 12 months

or 365 days, each of 24 hours.

The Venetians
create the alphabet,

later taken up by the Greeks,

who themselves will discover
major mathematical theorems

and invent democracy.

While Indians will discover
the zero and the numerals,

unfairly known as Arabic.

And we are still
centuries before our age.

From the Roman aqueducts
to the Millau viaduct,

only a tiny part of the
techniques is really
invented.

The major part of the
road was already traveled.

This massive sum of knowledge
constitutes a heritage,

a treasure belonging
to civilization.

Without it, we would have
to reinvent the wheel

at every generation.

Not to lose it seems
an absolute priority.

(gentle instrumental music)

- [Narrator] Accumulating
knowledge by learning by rote.

That is exactly what
the young Charles Darwin

has problems with.

(birds chirping)

Born in 1809 in England, he
is the fifth child of a
doctor

with great aspirations
for his son

that he follows the
same path as his father.

However, Charles is
much more interested

in the world around
him than in school.

Often late, he
describes himself later

as a simple little dullard.

His teachers think the same.

And yet, his difficulties
at school have nothing to do

with his ability.

He is quite simply
made for other things.

(energetic instrumental music)

He carries out
chemistry experiments

after setting up a
tiny secret laboratory

in the shed at the bottom
of the family garden,

neglects his studies to
collect
marine samples at low tide,

and then study them with
a makeshift microscope,

learns taxidermy
from a former slave

who tells him fabulous stories
about tropical forests,

collects rare beetles and
classifies them by species,

crosses the country
in a straight line,

off the beaten track
by using a compass

to discover fabulous
spots that are still wild.

His thirst for
discovery is insatiable.

The world is too rich
for him to spend his time

on a school bench
reading Greek classics,

so he doesn't hurry his studies.

He knows that his father will
pay whatever is necessary

for his son to become a doctor,

largely sufficient to
give Darwin the time

to slake his thirst

for scientific experiments
and discoveries,

until his father
realizes his ploy

and suggests that
Darwin enter the church.

- [Narrator] Everyone is unique.

Human beings are all different.

We all react to
events in our own way.

Love specific things.

(gentle instrumental music)

School cannot adapt to everyone.

It is forced to offer
an education suited

to the greatest number.

On the scale of a country,
case
by case proves complicated.

Thus, a pupil
achieving poor results

may well attribute
them to a lack of work

but it may also be
that he is simply made

for different teaching.

Darwin is far from
being an isolated case.

Albert Einstein, who developed
the Theory of Relativity,

wasn't always a good student.

The same goes for
Bousa, Churchill,

Thomas Edison, or John Lennon.

When Darwin carries out his
own chemistry experiments

in his makeshift laboratory

or when he conscientiously
classifies his beetles,

he is showing proof of
real scientific reflection,

observation, hypothesis,
experimentation,

data gathering, comparison
of results, deduction.

He is unable to limit
himself to one science.

His thirst drives him to delve
into a whole range of fields.

This will be his strength.

For Darwin, it is
not about learning

or even less believing,

but about observing
and wondering.

(birds chirping)

- [Narrator] It is at this
pivotal moment in his life

that he receives a letter
from his teacher and mentor.

In the letter,

he suggests that he leave
England for two years,

join a ship as a
volunteer naturalist,

and set off to the
other side of the world

to map the coastlines.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Darwin is excited, but
immediately comes up

against his father's refusal.

He only sees this as yet
another excuse not to study.

However, his uncle will
take the young man's side

with a weighty argument.

At least Darwin will
cost a lot less money.

♪ For a dash of whiskey
and a bottle of rum

And so on December
27th, 1831 at 2 p.m.,

the Beagle, his majesty's
exploration vessel,

sails from the port of
Plymouth
with Charles Darwin aboard.

(lively instrumental music)

After a long crossing,

the ship arrives
within sight of Brazil.

This is the first
stage of a huge voyage

during which the
young naturalist

will seize every
opportunity to go ashore

and explore the hinterland.

He braves the sticky heat
of the Brazilian Pampas

to collect insect specimens,

digs up fossils of
prehistoric
mammals in Uruguay,

suffers the cold of
Tierra Del Fuego,

and storms of Cape Horn.

He is amazed to discover
animals surviving

in the muddy waters of
Argentina's salt lakes,

endures thirst for hours on end

as he observes armadillos,
ostriches, and lizards.

(dramatic instrumental music)

Then, on September 15th, 1835,

the Beagle sails within the
sight of the mythical
Galapagos.

These volcanic islands
lost in the middle

of the Pacific Ocean

provide a formidable
laboratory for Darwin.

Not content with just
being able to observe close

the animals that are
unique in the world,

he notices that on each island,

different bird populations,

even though from
the same species,

present particular
characteristics

as if isolated from each other,

they had become new
branches, new animals.

This tiny observation
is fundamental

and will be the basis
of all his reflection.

And yet, all these discoveries
almost never came about.

Let's now go back several years.

Darwin applies for the
post of naturalist.

However, the captain of
the Beagle studies him

and decides from the
shape of his nose

that the young man
lacks determination.

Aware that he will
spend long months

in the young man's company,

the captain refuses
to have him on board.

Fortunately for Darwin and
for the rest of the world,

the captain finally
changes his mind.

(eerie music)

(dramatic chords)

- [Narrator] We have just
reached a turning point.

A turning point is a key event,

a crossroads in our history

where the world swings
one way or the other.

The captain of the Beagle
at first refused Darwin

because of a physical feature.

Let's have a little
fun imagining what
could have happened

if he had stuck to
his original position.

For Darwin, it's easy.

He would have returned home

and his father would have
made him go into the church.

One thing is certain.

Darwin would never have
gathered sufficient
observations

to develop his theory,

and even less gained the
prestige necessary to defend
it.

For the rest of the
world, it's another story.

Darwin is the father of
the Theory of Evolution,

but he is not the only one to
have had intuitions about it.

Despite everything, the idea
would have come to light,

but certainly not
in the same way.

Based on hypothesis and
not on direct observation,

it would probably
have been contested

in a much more effective way

and very quickly, the
population would have split

into pro- and anti-evolution.

Perhaps even to the point
of creating a real crisis

in the United Kingdom.

More conservative countries
like the United States

would have defended
the old beliefs

while others, more
liberal, such as Germany,

would have become evolutionist.

Our contemporary society
would have been marked

by this split.

The radical opposition
between creationists

and evolutionists
would have seemed

like a veritable
war of religion.

You can never underestimate
the power of ideas.

(dramatic instrumental music)

- [Narrator] On
October 2nd, 1836,

after a voyage lasting
four years, nine months,

and five days, the Beagle
finally returns home.

What Darwin doesn't know
is that in his absence,

his former teacher
has conscientiously

made his discoveries known.

So Darwin returns to
the United Kingdom

with an already
established celebrity.

It will be useful to him.

He brings with him
hundreds of samples,

whole books crammed
with precious notes

and an idea, an intuition.

Relying on his
accumulated experience,

Darwin reflects,
crosschecks, analyzes,

takes the time to be sure

and will do so over many
years before he publishes

anything on the subject.

Why all these precautions?

Because his theory
is revolutionary.

It could be summed up thus.

Living beings are in
perpetual evolution.

From one generation to another,

parents transmit certain
physical attributes

to their children.

For example, a tall
man has a good chance

of having tall children.

From one generation to the
next, our children change.

They evolve.

In nature, certain
of these attributes

can prove to be useful,
useless, or even a handicap.

A taller child will
be able to pick fruit

from the higher
branches of a tree,

but on the other hand, will
be seriously handicapped

when hiding from predators.

Thus, the environment
will favor the survival

and therefore, the reproduction,

of individuals possessing
appropriate attributes

and inversely for the others.

(dramatic chord)

Life adapts by evolving.

(birds chirping)

In 1859, 20 years after
his voyage on the Beagle,

Darwin publishes On
the Origin of Species.

Very quickly, it
attracts opposition.

The principle criticism
made against it is

that it questions the
model that has existed

for 2,000 years,

that of the Bible and Genesis.

According to Christian religion,

God created the Earth and
all living things upon it.

He made man in his own image,

the one he has today without
any change since his origin.

God created the world and
therefore the world is good

which does not fit in at all

with a natural selection
that is merciless,

tarnishing the image
of a harmonious nature

and even less with the
notion of evolution itself.

This is a veritable earthquake

for traditional
Christian thinking.

- [Narrator] Ideas are powerful.

This statement is so
true that in every age,

the powers that be
have distrusted them.

Let's return to
the ancient world,

to the place where philosophy
and democracy began.

Socrates was put on
trial and then executed

for, amongst other
things, corrupting youth.

The philosopher could
not stop himself

from asking awkward questions.

The ones the powers
did not want to hear.

Centuries later,
Galileo is the subject

of a sensational trial.

The scholar claims that the
Earth orbits around the sun

and not the opposite.

Today we know that he
was absolutely correct.

Like Darwin, he has a theory
based on scientific evidence.

Like Darwin's, it runs
against the Christian vision.

He has many supporters
within the clergy,

including the Pope.

However, being
right is not enough

and Galileo will
underestimate one thing.

To admit that one is wrong

and has been for
centuries is never easy,

so while the clergy is happy
to allow the two explanations

to exist side by side,
which would spare the ego's

of the traditionalists,

Galileo insists and
criticizes them in public.

The result is a trial from
which he emerges the loser.

Great religions are by
nature conservative.

They are like huge ships that
cannot easily change course.

They need time.

Darwin knows this and will
prove to be patient and wise.

For example, the
principle of evolution is

at the heart of his theory,

but the word does not
appear once in his text.

He takes care to treat the work

of his predecessors
respectfully.

Darwin knows how to learn
from the mistakes of the past.

(lively instrumental music)

- [Narrator] The first
edition
of On the Origin of Species

sells out in a single day.

More have to be printed.

In the end, there are no
less than six editions

corrected and
completed by Darwin,

who reacts to the
attacks and the criticism

through his book.

Intelligently, he
adapts his work

down to its final touch.

He takes no part
in sterile debates,

in the jousting between
partisans and opponents.

He keeps well away
from the fray.

The strength of the book
lies in its reasonable size

which makes it accessible
to the widest readership

and not just to experts.

In 1869, despite
strong opposition,

Darwin's theory is
finally accepted

by the majority of
the scientific world.

(dramatic instrumental music)

The first battle is won
by the evolutionists,

but the war of ideas
is only just beginning.

In reaction, a new
opposition movement is born

at the end of the century
in the United States

among Evangelist circles.

Creationism, which is based
not on scientific study,

but on a literal
reading of the bible,

defends the idea that
God is creator of all.

Certain sections of the
movement even go so far

as to state that the Earth
was created 6,000 years ago

and that the fossils
found are artifacts

placed here and there by God

in order to deceive
the human mind.

With several million
copies printed,

The Fundamentals, is a founding
text of creationist thought.

It is the origin of the
word fundamentalist.

(gavel banging)

In the United States,
the legal battle is begun

and in 1925, the creationists
manage to ban the teaching

of evolutionary theory in more
than 15 out of the 48 states.

The ban will not be
lifted until 1970.

In our day, the fight
to impose the teaching

of creationism in the
most powerful county

in the world is still raging.

Adversaries of Darwin have
never been more virulent

or more powerful,

but that is another story.

(gentle instrumental music)

- [Narrator] It is easier
to destroy than to create.

Darwin developed a theory
that has been accepted

by the scientific world.

Today it is being
questioned and opposed.

It could well see itself
banned and then vanish.

This has happened before.

It will happen again.

The fragility of
our achievements

can be observed every day.

Take, for example,
the recent destruction

in the Middle East of
historical evidence proving

that other civilizations
existed before Islam.

By wiping out
traces of the past,

you finally wipe out memories.

When the Mongols sacked Baghdad,

they burned a library
containing
a million manuscripts.

What secrets of our
history vanished that day?

When we consider all
the war and destruction

the world has seen,

it seems astonishing that
we still have so much left.

It so happens that
along the way,

the destroyers of knowledge
have always been met

by their alter egos,

people or institutions
who have stepped in

and who were able to
defend these treasures.

From the fall of
the Roman empire

to the agony of the
Mongol invasions,

knowledge has been
hidden away in churches,

has found refuge
with new empires,

has continued to
exist within the heart

of other civilizations.

To our own day, nobody
has dropped the torch.

Our history is filled
with museum curators

giving their lives to
protect their collections,

librarians braving all
dangers to save manuscripts,

resistance risking all
to preserve a heritage.

They gave their lives

so that the world could
continue to progress.

Today, it is our turn
to ensure the handover.

(dramatic instrumental music)