Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection

Other than Mendellson and his studies with genetics, Darwin has by far

contributed the most to our modern science. From his theories on variation of

species to his explanation of natural selection Charles Darwin has shocked the

world by proving the world older than previously thought and creatures not

immutable. In this present day these theories are as common belief as a simple

mathematical equation such as two plus two equals four; but in the year eighteen

hundred and fifty nine Darwin not only risked his reputation with these far

fetched findings but also the risk of being excommunicated from the church.

Previous to Darwin the thought had been that the world itself was only a few

hundred years old and that all creatures were made by God in those seven days as

they lived exactly today (Campbell p 421). Aside from past resistance, Darwin

also comes under scrutiny still today as missing fossils which are to have been

the bridge between a two familiar species are not yet found (Hitching p 3).

Whatever the reason of belief or disbelief in Darwin's theories, he astounded

the scientific world as well as the public and was able to convince many in the

presence of a misguided past belief. This fact alone makes him one of the most

important people of science ever.

Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury-Shropshire, England on Feb 12,

1809 (GEA & RBi p 42). He was the fifth child in a wealthy English family with

a history of scientific achievement with his paternal grandfather Erasmus Darwin

who was a physician and a savant in the eighteenth century (GEA & RBi p 42). As

a young boy Darwin already showed signs of his love for nature. When he was not

reading about nature and its quirks he was out in the forest looking for wild

game , fish, and insects (Campbell p 424). His father, although noting his

son's interest in nature, felt that all the discoveries of the natural branch of

science had been accomplished so he sent his son to medical school at Edinburgh

instead (Bowler p 62). While Darwin was there, he could not keep his mind on

his medical studies and decided to go and study at the University of Cambridge

and become a clergyman. It was here that he was to meet two people who would

change his future forever; Adams Sedgwick and John Stevens Henslow. Out of

these two, Henslow turned into his second father and taught him to be...

... middle of paper ...

...create the phenomena of

natural selection.

Darwin was not going to publish his findings but was forced to by a

young man Alfred Russel Wallace who had come to the same conclusion after twenty

years had passed. Although both scientists names were on the original copies of

the Origin of Species Wallace regarded Darwin as the soul author. Within a year

of writing, Darwin published what would be twenty years of research in 1859.

Although, thoroughly backed up with painstaking research, it was still refereed

to as "the book that shook the world" and in its first day of sales had sold

out (GEA & RBi p 43). The immediate reaction in the science world was one of

disbelief. The leading scientists of the day said that Darwin could not prove

his hypothesis and the concept of variation could not be proved. Darwin was to

be doubted for the next seventy years until the rediscovery of Mendel's pea

plant experiments (GEA & RBi p 43). With these new findings on genetics, many

scientists would take in account Darwin's work. Some of these people were to be

a German zoologist named Ernst Mayr, a botanist G. Ledyard Stebbins, and

paleontologist named George Simpson (JWV p 21).