Charles Darwin

3215 Words7 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Evolution of human beings

INTRODUCTION

Second semester of my freshman year here at Public University, I took the Honors section of Botany 180. The class dealt primarily with the evolution of man and the study of evolution throughout history. A few of the many names we encountered in the course were Mendel, Huxley, Lyell, and Darwin. However, Charles Darwin and his theories were the primary focus of our discussions. This is when I was first exposed in-depth to Darwinism. The ideas we studied and the concepts we explored laid the foundation for my thinking on the whole subject of evolution and how man ìcame to be.î Major points about Darwin that impressed me the most were his devotion to the study of his environment, the depth of his writings, and the influence he had on his peers and consequently, the whole scientific world. Furthermore, I was impressed at the fact that over one hundred years after his death, his theories still lay the foundation for scientific thought and evolutionary exploration.

The second Honors class I have taken at Miami is EDP 380, Creative Frames of Mind. When Professor Sherman first asked for ìother intelligencesî when we mapped our own strengths and weaknesses in Gardnerís seven intelligences, my idea was environmental intelligence. Darwin immediately came to my mind for this ìotherî intelligence, but also for the logical intelligence. My freshman class in evolution explored Darwinís theories, but we only skirted along the subject of his personal life and the depth of his creative intelligence. Does Charles Darwin fit Gardnerís model of intelligence? Does Darwin display an eighth intelligence, perhaps overlooked by Gardner?

To explore Darwinís place in the model, Gardnerís criteria must be followed. First, does Darwin di...

... middle of paper ...

...This intelligence in itself is quite a creative accomplishment.

Darwin journeyed, and he searched through trial and error for an understanding of the order of nature. His creativity and willingness to rise above the scientific views of his day made his journey all the more worthwhile.

WORKS CITED

Brent, Peter. Charles Darwin. Harper & Row, Publishers: New York, 1981.

Clark, Ronald W. The Survival of Charles Darwin. Random House: New York, 1984.

Gruber, Howard E. Darwin on Man: A Psychological Study of Scientific Creativity. The University of Chicago Press: Chicago, 1974.

Huxley, Julian. Charles Darwin and His World. The Viking Press: New York, 1965.

Manier, Edward. The Young Darwin and His Cultural Circle. D. Reidel Publishing Company, 1965.

http://www.lib.virginia.edu/science/parshall/darwin.html

http://www.nobunaga.domon.co.uk/htm/darwin.htm

Show More
Related

  • 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

  • Analysis Of Colson Whitehead's 'The Colossus Of New York'

    1150 Words  | 3 Pages

    is a city that permits everybody; it’s just a matter of time. We are free to take note

    Read More

  • Perception of New York City in Goodbye to All by Joan Didion and American Psycho by Bret Easton

    829 Words  | 2 Pages

    1991 and “Goodbye To All That” written in 1968, the idea that New York is a trap that will lure people in with false promises of an easy life, and once their here, miserable or

    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 Natural Selection and Social Darwinism

    2626 Words  | 6 Pages

    The theory of social darwinism was first introduced to the public[1] in “A Theory of Population, Deduced from the General Law of Animal Fertility”, an article by Herbert Spencer published in 1852. This work preceded the publishing of Darwin’s book by seven years, and “given the timing, it is curious that Darwin’s theory was not labeled ‘natural Spencerism’ instead of Spencer’s theory being labeled ‘social Darwinism.’”[2] Spencer’s article, though mainly focused on biology and the ways in which animal populations develop, does include an inkling of the social ideas he would later more fully examine. His main theory of population deals with survival of the fittest, a phrase he coins in this a...

    Read More

  • Historic New York and Its Diversity

    937 Words  | 2 Pages

    New York City has always been an example of how diversity can exist in a successful and peaceful place. Full of action, enthusiasm, and a combination of many cultures, New York is rich in every sense of the word. For example, taking a walk down the busy streets not only opens your eyes to the small but meaningful details of the city and the different people that revive it but also the numerous worlds that are somehow fused in this magical city, like Little Italy, Chinatown, Little Syria, Korea Town, and many others.

    Read More

  • Why Darwinism Is Just A Theory?

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    Keith Henson a writer in evolutionary psychology once said that “Evolution acts slowly. Our psychological characteristics today are those that promoted reproductive success in the ancestral environment.” Evolution was first introduced by a naturalist by the name of Charles Darwin. Darwin had written an autobiography, at the age of 50, On the Origin of Species (1859) explaining how species evolve through time by natural selection; this theory became known as Darwinism. “Verlyn Klinkenborg, who writes editorials and vignettes on science and nature for the “New York Times”” (Muller 706) questions Darwin’s theory in one of his essays he wrote called Darwin at 200: The Ongoing Force of His Unconventional Idea. Both articles talk about the theory of Darwinism, but the authors’ use different writing techniques and were written in different time periods. Darwin himself writes to inform us on what the theory is, where as Klinkenborg goes on to explain why Darwinism is just a theory. Today, evolution is still a very controversial topic among many. It comes up in several topics that are discussed everyday such as in politics, religion and education.

    Read More

  • Atomic Bomb Essay

    1488 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, as time passed and more information about the bombings was given, Americans began to have mixed feelings and different thoughts about how this should have been handled. Scholars at that time found that Americans began feeling a sense of terror since they wondered what more could be done with nuclear weapons. They believed that even though the war was over, these kinds of weapons could come back to hurt them and that no one can really know what can happen to them or the rest of the world after creating the atomic bomb. Americans felt that the weapons that had been used to end war with Japan could be the beginning of the end and that no one was safe anymore. Hanson W. Baldwin, a writer for The New York Times once wrote, "much of our bombing through this war-like the enemy's--has been directed against cities, and hence against civilians. . . Americans have become a synonym for destruction. And now we have been the first to introduce a new weapon of unknowable effects which may bring us victory quickly b...

    Read More

  • Whitehead's "The Colossus of New York"

    2601 Words  | 6 Pages

    New York City’s population is a little over 8.3 million people. 8.3 million people are spread out among five boroughs and each have their own set routine. Each one of those 8.3 million see New York in a different way becuase “You start building your private New York the first time you lay eyes on it” (“City Limits” 4). Some people are like Colson Whitehead who “was born here and thus ruined for anywhere else” (“City Limits” 3). Others may have “moved here a couple years ago for a job. Maybe [they] came here for school” (“City Limits” 3). Different reasons have brought these people together. They are grouped as New Yorkers, but many times, living in New York is their only bond. With on going changes and never ending commotion, it is hard to define New York and its inhabitants in simple terms.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Colson Whitehead's The Colossus Of New York

    1675 Words  | 4 Pages

    Colson Whitehead ponders the essence of New York in his collection of essays titled, The Colossus of New York. Throughout the entire collection of essaysWhitehead inquires about what New York stands for based on the journey’s of its inhabitants and visitors. By establishing a sense of authenticity and creating an intimate relationship between him and the reader, Whitehead effectively provides his readers with a genuine account of New York. This genuineness found in Whitehad’s writing has not been met without criticism. Wyatt Mason’s critique of Whitehead’s essays reiterates throughout the review that Whitehead’s account go New York isn’t unique to New York and that the essayist isn’t particularly attentive to detail. While I agree with the

    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

  • Th Oil and Natural Gas Industry's Effect on Oklahoma

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oklahoma's oil and natural gas industry is giving us unstoppable progress for energy solutions, but the other parts of the nation are still searching for theirs. While providing jobs for the thousands of people who live in Oklahoma, the oil and natural gas industry not only donates to America's petroleum production, but it also produces millions of dollars for our state’s economy, schools, and roads. Making new headways in our industry every day, artificial technology, scientific breakthroughs, adequate new exploration, and drilling methods took place. Without these upgrades, we would not be able to extract oil and natural gas from challenging fields more efficiently than we can now. As capability rises, environmental impact will continue to go down. In 1897, a tower of surging oil divided the Bartlesville sky. Oklahoma's preliminary drilling swaged badly, brought forth by the federal controls on wellhead prices of natural gas applied to interstate commerce in the 1950s. By 1982, oil prices hit an all time high of $37.60 per barrel. Furthermore, the number of progressive drilling rigs in Oklahoma also hit a record of 882. The total quantity produced from the soul and natural gas industry in Oklahoma reached about 40 billion dollars in 2007. Also, through the gross production tax, oil and natural gas producers and royalty owners gave more than 2 billion dollars to Oklahoma used for teacher retirement, public schools, wildlife management, bridges, roads, and state colleges. Petroleum remains an indispensable Sooner State industry. Natural gas continued to grow in the early 1990s despite of the entire staggering bust that was caused by the plummeting world crude oil p...

    Read More

  • Opposing Viewpoints on Depression

    2443 Words  | 5 Pages

    Darwin, Charles. From The Origin of Species. New York: P.F. Collier and Son Corporation, 1937. 71-86; 497-506.

    Read More

  • Essay: Christianity In Rome

    585 Words  | 2 Pages

    Christianity, originally, was thought of as an outsider religion, and wasn’t accepted by most Romans. The Romans could learn to live with other religions, but not when they were harmful to public order. At one point, Romans viewed it to be just that. Christians tended ...

    Read More

  • Ethics: Implementing Ethics Is Important In Society

    1312 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...come but we must choose that option that we have the most reason to believe will produce the greatest outcome of happiness for the majority.

    Read More

More about Charles Darwin

Open Document