The Wisdom of Alfred Wallace

Alfred Wallace (1823-1913) was a man of many talents. The Englishman was a naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, and field biologist of great renown. While he discovered and documented many species previously unknown to science, he is probably best known for his ideas on evolution and natural selection. Wallace is one of the scientists with whom Charles Darwin corresponded and whose observations he cited when he published On the Origin of Species, which outlined his own theories on evolution, and The Descent of Man, in which he applies evolutionary theory to human evolution and sexual selection.

As an early proponent of evolution and natural selection, Wallace faced much resistance and criticism from the more conservative corners of society and religious institutions. Whether you believe in evolution or not is not the point right now. What is relevant is that Alfred Wallace knew what it was like to present something new and different to a scientific establishment and public that were dogmatic in their beliefs and strongly resistant to new ideas and theories.

Wallace said, "Truth is born into this world only with pangs and tribulations and every fresh truth is received unwillingly. To expect the world to receive a new truth, or even an old truth, without challenging it, is to look for one of those miracles which do not occur."

This is a quote that I keep in mind when I argue for the existence of a large, unknown primate on the North American continent. There is enough evidence out there to support the theory that the North American wood ape, or sasquatch, does likely exist.

Maybe one day, mainstream science will be open-minded enough to take the good hard look that the evidence warrants. If that were to occur, I think this whole mystery could be solved in fairly short order.

Hopefully, the idea of mainstream science considering the possibility that the sasquatch exists is not just, “one of those miracles which do not occur.”