Charles Darwin and Natural Selection

943 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Charles Darwin's theory of evolution

One of the most influential people in modern day biology and geology is Charles Darwin. His advances in the fields still have impact to this day. His theory of Natural Selection made tidal waves through the scientific community all across the world. Darwin’s theories and studies are still a topic of conflict. Many Christians still dispute his theories, standing strong to their ideas of Creationism.
Biographical Information
On February 12, 1809 one of the mostly highly respected and controversial scientists was born (“Charles Darwin”). Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England to a family of eight (“Charles Darwin”). He was the second youngest of the children, and was a child of great wealth and privilege (“Charles Darwin”). Darwin was born into a long line of scientists (“Charles Darwin”). At age eight, Susanna, Darwin’s mother died (“Charles Darwin”).
In 1817, at the age of sixteen Darwin was sent to a day school in Shrewsbury (Scientific Biography 565). While there it was determined that Darwin was a slow learner (Scientific Biography 565). In 1818 Darwin was enrolled into the Shrewsbury School under the supervision of Dr. Samuel Butler (Scientific Biography 565). While there the curriculum was focused on the classics, some ancient history, and geography (Scientific Biography 565). Charles claimed the school taught him nothing, and he stated “The school as a means of education to me was simply a blank.” (Scientific Biography 565). Darwin was publicly rebuked by the headmaster for wasting time on chemical experiments (Scientific Biography 565). In 1825 he was removed from Shrewsbury School and began the study of medicine at Edinburg University (Scientific Biography 565).

Because of his repulsion to blood, Darwin wasn...

... middle of paper ...

...is theory of natural selection. Creationism is still widely accepted and defended by Christians. Darwin’s determined life of research paid off and is considered one of the most important scientists in the field of biology to this day.

Works Cited

"Charles Darwin." 2014. The Biography Channel website. 24 Mar. 2014.
"Darwin, Charles (1809-1882)." DISCovering Science. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Discovering Collection. Gale. Clark County High School. 24 Mar. 2014
"Darwin, Charles." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr.
2nd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2008. 227-232. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
"Darwin, Charles Robert." Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Vol. 3. Detroit: Charles
Scribner's Sons, 2008. 565-577. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • Charles Darwin The Evolutionist

    605 Words  | 2 Pages

    On February 12, 1809, Charles Darwin was born. His childhood home took place in Shrewsbury, England. While he was a child, he took a liking to and collected shells, bird eggs, rocks and minerals, and insects. Him and his sister had gotten into multiple ‘debates’ about killing the insects, so he always had to find a corpse of an already dead insect, if he wished to collect. Later into his childhood, when he was only eight years old, his mother, Susanna, had passed away. This did not bother him as much until his later years, considering he was too young to understand what was going on. A year after that, his father, Dr. Robert Darwin, had settled young Darwin into Shrewsbury school. “ Darwin was a child of wealth and privilege who loved to explore nature.”

    Read More

  • Darwin, Booker T. Washington and the Feminist Movement: How They Have All Influenced Modern Society

    1504 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Charles Darwin’s life he had helped make a significant advancement in the way mankind viewed the world. With his observations, he played a part in shifting the model of evolution into his peers’ minds. Darwin’s theory on natural selection impacted the areas of science and religion because it questioned and challenged the Bible; and anything that challenged the Bible in Darwin’s era was sure to create contention with the church. Members of the Church took offense to Darwin’s Origins of Species because it unswervingly contradicted the teachings of the book of Genesis in the Bible. (Zhao, 2009) Natural selection changed the way people thought. Where the Bible teaches that “all organisms have been in an unchanging state since the great flood, and that everything twas molded in God’s will.” (Zhao, 2009) Darwin’s geological journey to the Galapagos Islands is where he was first able to get the observations he needed to prove how various species change over t...

    Read More

  • The History Of The Scopes Monkey Trial

    1647 Words  | 4 Pages

    Charles Darwin, the Father of Evolution, was a British scientist who laid the foundations of the theory of evolution, transforming the thinking of the entire world about the living things around us (Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882)). After working on his theory for nearly 20 years, he published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859. As soon as the book was released, the controversy began with each sides gaining followers until the climax on July 10, 1925. The idea that animals could “evolve” and change into new species, including humans, was one that challenged not only how people thought about the natural world, but challenged the story of the creation from the Bible itself. Even though Darwin himself never said that humans “evolved” from apes, everyone took it as a logical extension of his new theory. It went against the idea of argument for design that had unified theology and science for decades (Moran 5). This new threat to Christianity and the social culture of the time was one that would transform state laws on their educational curriculum.

    Read More

  • Who is Charles Lyell?

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    Charles Lyell was a British lawyer and one the smartest geologist known in his time. He was known as the author of the Principles of Geology, which helped popularize the theories and concepts of uniformitarianism. The Principles of Geology was the first book written by Lyell and explained the changes of the earth’s surface. He used the research and information in the book as his proof to determine that the earth was over 6,000 years old. The central argument in his book was “the present is the key to the past”, this meant that to find out what happened in the past you had to look at what was happening now. It explained that changes which happened in the past, were happening in the present, and will happen in the future. Lyell’s book was later published into three volumes from 1830-1833. After the publication, it gave him credentials as an important geological theorist. His book later influenced a young Charles Darwin. Lyell’s influential book led Darwin to follow his principles and they later became friends. Darwin began to explore the changes that happen on the earth and develop his theories of evolution, though Charles did not completely endorse Darwin’s theory of evolution. Lyell was a devout Christian and Darwin’s theory of evolution did not line up with his Lyell’s beliefs with natural selection. Darwin continued his research and beliefs of his own and became a scientist working with his theories of evolution.

    Read More

  • Charles Robert Darwin's Life and Accomplishments

    2526 Words  | 6 Pages

    Charles Robert Darwin was an English naturalist who was born in Shrewsbury, England on February 12, 1809. He was the second youngest of six children. Before Charles Darwin, there were many scientists throughout his family. His father, Dr. Robert Darwin, was a medical doctor, and his grandfather, Dr. Erasmus Darwin, was a well-known botanist. Darwin’s mother, Susannah Darwin, died when he was only eight years old. Darwin was a child that came from wealth and privilege and who loved to explore nature. In October 1825 at age sixteen, Darwin enrolled at Edinburgh University with his brother Erasmus. Two years later, Charles became a student at Christ’s College in Cambridge. His father wanted him to become a medical doctor, as he was, but since the sight of blood made Darwin nauseous, he refused. His father also proposed that he become a priest, but since Charles was far more interested in natural history, he had other ideas in mind (Dao, 2009)

    Read More

  • Darwin's Theory of Evolution

    516 Words  | 2 Pages

    However, it was Darwin that formalized the theory, and presented the most convincing case for the theory. Charles Darwin was born on the 12th of February 1809 (incidentally, the same day and year as Abraham Lincoln), in Shrewsbury, England. He had a privileged upbringing, and enjoyed science - particularly biology. He graduated from Cambridge University in 1831, and on December the 27th of that year, he set off for a five-year journey aboard the Beagle, a ship bound for South America. His voyage was long and eventful, including once, in Chile, encountering both an earthquake and a tidal wave in a single day!

    Read More

  • Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection and Social Darwinism

    2626 Words  | 6 Pages

    Anyone with even a moderate background in science has heard of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution. Since the publishing of his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859, Darwin’s ideas have been debated by everyone from scientists to theologians to ordinary lay-people. Today, though there is still severe opposition, evolution is regarded as fact by most of the scientific community and Darwin’s book remains one of the most influential ever written.

    Read More

  • Why Darwinism Is Just A Theory?

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    Charles Darwin was born in 1809 in England, he studied medicine at Edinburgh and ministry at Cambridge. He later became interested in natural history . From 1831 to 1836 he went on a cruise around the world; this sparked an int...

    Read More

  • History of Evolutionary Thought and Inspiring Darwin

    677 Words  | 2 Pages

    Contrary to many assumptions, evolutionary theory did not begin with Charles Darwin in 1859. Actually, ideas similar to evolution had existed since the times of the Ancient Greeks. The idea of evolution teetered in and out between the time of the Greeks and Victorian England. In Darwin's time, evolution was called “descent with modification”(Thinkquest.org). During the eighteenth century, two church officials provided convincing biblical explanations for biological diversity; Separate Creation: the idea that all creatures have been created uniquely by God and organized into a hierarchy with man ranking just below God, and stating the earth is 6,000 years old (berkeley.edu./history/buffon).

    Read More

  • Evolution of MRSA

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    Charles Darwin contributed majorly to the evolutionary theory and was the first to consider the concept of natural selection. The evolutionary theory states that evolutionary change comes through the production of genetic variation in each generation and survival of individuals with different combinations of these characters. Individuals with characteristics which increase their probability of survival will have more opportunities to reproduce and their offspring will also benefit from the heritable, advantageous characteristic. So over time these variants will spread through the population. (S.Montgomery, 2009)

    Read More

  • Religious Faith vs Science and Reason

    1423 Words  | 3 Pages

    The impact these men had on religious thought was tremendous. Some of them are the starting points for many of the controversies existing today. Of all the scientists, historians, and philosophers in the nineteenth century, the most influential and controversial was Charles Darwin. Born in 1809, Charles Darwin always had an interest in the nature, so he chose to study botany in college. His strengths in botany led him to become the naturalist on the H.M.S. Beagle. On a trip to South America, he and the rest of the crew visited the near by Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It was there he noticed many different variations of the same general plants and birdshe saw previously in South America. He also observed ancient fossils of extinct organisms that closely resembled modern organisms. By 1859, all of these observations inspired him to write down his theories. He wanted to explain how evolution had occurred through a process called natural selection. In his published work, On the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, or On the Origin of Species for short, Darwin stated that, "new species have come on the stage slowly and at successive intervals."(1) He also said, "old forms are supplanted by new and improved forms," and all organisms play a part in the "struggle for life.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Natural Selection

    1146 Words  | 3 Pages

    A lot of conflicts, debates, and even fights are about a theory by a scientist called Charles Darwin. This theory is the theory of evolution, which is viewed as the most important and the most debated theory of all-time. This theory changed science forever. However, this theory is not believed by everyone and some people even say that Charles Darwin, who formulated this theory, even said it was wrong before he died. However, this theory is not all wrong and useless, because natural selection, which is the mechanism of this theory, is believed in by most people and scientist. Although natural selection is believed in by most people and scientist, there is an argument that natural selection is a random process, however natural selection is definitely not a random process.

    Read More

  • Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection

    679 Words  | 2 Pages

    Charles Darwin has had the greatest influence on the world by proving the evolution of living things. Charles Darwin had first noticed the similarities of plants and animals when he took a five-year cruise on the H.M.S. Beagle, which was available to him through a friend from school. During the cruise Charles Darwin started becoming interested with the similarities between the plants and animals that were similar on different islands with similar climates, so he decided to study them more closely.

    Read More

  • Charles Darwin: A Biography

    468 Words  | 1 Pages

    Charles Darwin began his scientific breakthroughs and upcoming theories when he began an expedition trip to the Galapagos Islands of South America. While studying there, he discovered that each island had its own type of plant and animal species. Although these plants and animals were similar in appearance, they had other characteristics that made them differ from one another and seem to not appear as similar. Darwin questioned why these plants and animals were on these islands and why they are different in ways.

    Read More

  • The Validity of The Evolutionary Theory

    1496 Words  | 3 Pages

    The evolution theory, one of the most significant theories, laid groundwork for the study of modern biological science. This theory has lead scientists into unending debates due to lack of empirical supports. Until the mid-eighteenth century, when Charles Darwin came up with an explanation to evolution, scientists, then, began to endorse this hypothesis. In “Natural Selection,” Darwin explains the natural selection, a plausible mechanism that causes evolution, to gain approval of his cynical audience for his evolution theory. He supports his claim with numerous examples of animals and plants that have developed traits beneficial for survival. A century later, Stephen Jay Gould, influenced by Darwin’s work, supports the evolution theory with a different method. In “Evolution as Fact and Theory,” Gould, in contrast to Darwin, criticizes his detractors, the creationists who believe that every life form is the creation of a supernatural being, to reinforce the validity of the evolution theory. Gould undermines creationism by emphasizing its misused concepts of theory and popular philosophy, proving that it is not science. Besides denouncing creationism, Gould also provides theoretical examples as evidence to prove evolution is a theory. Despite their different approaches, both Darwin and Gould effectively prove the existence of evolution.

    Read More

More about Charles Darwin and Natural Selection

Open Document