On The Origin Of Species Darwin Summary

731 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays on the theory of evolution by natural selection as proposed by charles darwin

My term paper is an exercise in an attempt to an intellectual analysis of ‘On the Origin of Species: By Means of Natural Selection’ written by Charles Darwin. Charles Darwin was born in England in 1809. Charles attended the University of Edinburgh where he aspired to learn about medicine. Charles decided that vocation was not the right one for him so he then enrolled at Cambridge University. It was at Cambridge where Charles Darwin earned a degree in theology. Darwin continued to study and learn about natural science. The famous philosopher began writing about his theories of natural selection. Darwinism has brought up very controversial topics throughout the years now; a theory of natural selection. The theory is Charles Darwin’s effort of …show more content…

According to Darwin chance and randomness are key factors to natural selection. Predictability factors into the history of life through adaptation which is a result of the theory of natural selection. Natural selection means differential survival or reproduction of different genotypes in a population leading to changes in the gene frequencies of a population.2 The conditions required for the operation of evolution by natural selection include variation, a system of heredity, differential reproduction, and time.3 Another evolutionary theory misconception is that humans are not evolving, and according to science this isn’t so. The concept of natural selection applies to humankind. The difference is that humans can use the help of technology to alter their own adaptation. With all of the innovating inventions humankind has become the top of the food chain. Humankind uses other organisms to challenge Darwin’s theories to their own advantage. Is it humane to use other organisms that cannot defend themselves; for pure selfish means of mankind? The acceptance of evolution and the concept of natural selection are

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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Why Is Evolution True?

    1950 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ution is the correct way to explain the facts of life in the world. For these reasons, the theory of evolution is a prime example of advanced scientific theory that can by no means be equated with pseudoscientific claims that serve nothing but various forms of propaganda.

    Read More

  • Charles Darwin: Naturalist and Leader in Science

    1429 Words  | 3 Pages

    The historical analysis of Charles Darwin includes my rationale for choosing him as my topic, his background, the elements of his successes and failures of his influence, and his legacy. I have chosen Charles Darwin for the subject of my research paper because of his influence on science through his theory of evolution. He is a clear example of change in thought, as Gardner points out in our text (Gardner, 2006), but besides that, I have always had an interest in his work. I took a course on the English of Biology and read Origin of Species (Darwin, 1982) which continued to interest me in his work. Charles Darwin and his theories are often cited and used for various purposes, so I feel his influence...

    Read More

  • The Life History of Charles Darwin

    1741 Words  | 4 Pages

    Charles Darwin was a man who shaped the way in which we think about evolution in modern times. He brought forth and described the theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest. To fully understand modern evolutionary thoughts it is necessary for one to completely understand the early theories of Charles Darwin. In this paper I will provide the reader with a complete background on Charles Darwin, describe his voyage on the HMS Beagle, and discuss his theory of natural selection.

    Read More

  • Unraveling Misconceptions about Evolution Theory

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    The concept of evolution surrounds us and is used to explain many behaviors and helps us to gain understanding of life’s history, but still people have many misconceptions when it comes to considering the theory. Some of the most common ones, which I have previously discussed, include that it is always progressive, that life evolves randomly and that survival of the fittest is simply about the strongest or biggest animals. Whilst some features of these ideas are correct to an extent, they are mostly inaccurate, and the fact that these are widely believed concepts it suggests that they are commonly thought amongst

    Read More

  • Charles Darwin's Struggle For Existence In On The Origin Of Species

    1199 Words  | 3 Pages

    Charles Darwin’s conclusion to “Struggle for Existence” in On the Origin of Species strays from the scientific narrative of the book, instead taking a more philosophical turn that tasks the reader with pondering the implications of his work. The main focus of the study is to support and explain the process of natural selection, yet, throughout the book, he frequently attempts to uncover what it suggests for life itself and what we, as a part of humanity, should do with this information. Even now that natural selection is widely accepted, its inherently cruel nature can be difficult to cope with. Yet, deconstructing Darwin’s conclusion shows that there is hidden advice: the concepts of natural selection and evolution should not make us painfully

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Natural Selection

    1146 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...lection acts may occur randomly, but natural selection itself is not random at all. As the survival and reproductive success of an individual is directly related to the ways its inherited traits function in the context of its local environment. The third one is that as explained by the theory of evolution, individuals with characteristics which increase their probability of survival will have more opportunities to reproduce and their offspring will also benefit from these heritable advantageous characteristics. The last one is the evidence from the biological science and the natural world, which include the Galapagos finches, the peppered moths, and the pesticide-resistant insects. All these reasons definitely prove the misconception that natural selection is a random process wrong, and provide strong evidences that natural process is clearly not a random process.

    Read More

  • Summary Of 'What Darwin Never Knew'

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    The video, “What Darwin Never Knew”, is a stunning time line that details the theory of evolution formed by Charles Darwin, and the recent advancements made that answers some of the questions he simply could not. Darwin 's theory explained why today there are 9,000 kinds of birds, 350,000 kinds of beetles, 28,000 kinds of fish, and at least 2 million kinds of living species and counting. Darwin figured out that all species are connected, and he also realized that species evolved and adapted, but he did not know how.

    Read More

  • Social Darwinism

    1192 Words  | 3 Pages

    Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection, a scientific theory that supported the belief of evolution, was manipulated and applied to different areas of life, and thus it became the shaping force in European thought in the last half of the nineteenth century. Darwin, through observation of organisms, determined that a system of natural selection controlled the evolution of species. He found that the organisms that were most fit and assimilated to the environment would survive. They would also reproduce so that over time they would eventually dominate in numbers over the organisms with weaker characteristics. This new theory was radical and interesting to the scientific world but its effects reach far beyond this small institution of intellectuals. People applied Darwinism and its belief in survival of the fittest to all areas of life. They used it as a “natural law” which supported their actions and beliefs. Advocates manipulated the scientific doctrine to fulfill their personal needs and to justify religious beliefs, capitalism, and military conquests.

    Read More

  • The Kwanzaa Holiday Tradition

    664 Words  | 2 Pages

    He was a biologist whose famous theory of evolution is important to philosophy for the effect it has had on ideas relating to the nature of men. After many years of careful study, Darwin attempted to show that higher species came into existence as a result of the gradual transformation of lower species, and that the process of transformation could be explained through the selective effect of the natural environment upon organisms. He concluded that the principles of natural selection and survival of the fittest govern all life. Darwin’s explanation of these principles is that because of the food supply problem, the young of any species compete for survival. Those young that survive to produce the next generation tend to embody favorable natural changes that are passed on by heredity. His major work that contained these theories is On the Origin of the Species, written in 1859. Many religious opponents condemned this

    Read More

  • Essay On Charles Darwin's Theory Of Natural Selection

    514 Words  | 2 Pages

    Charles Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection poses we have acclimatised to our environment, passing on desirable characteristics to the next generation in order to survive, through tens and thousands of years there has been a gradual change in our evolution, a survival of the fittest. Of course, we can’t see this change but there is circumstantial evidence to back up this theory.

    Read More

  • Religion During The Victorian Era

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1831 Charles Darwin began his voyage in the British vessel the HMS Beagle and by the end of his journey Darwin managed to answer one of the most relevant questions of humanity. When his work was published in 1859 the bases of the scientific world were shaken. The publication of the On the Origin of Species not only had a profound effect on scientific thought but also in several educational areas. His theory of evolution which states that humans evolved from the ape and that all the diversity of life arouse from a similar ancestor, and the theory of natural selection were the strongest and most adaptable of species would tend to be preserved became the foundation of modern molecular, biochemical and biological sciences. Many scientists believed that “Darwin had accomplished what Galileo and Newton accomplished for mechanics and physic...

    Read More

  • The Process of Evolution

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    Natural selection is based on the concept “survival of the fittest” where the most favourable individual best suited in the environment survive and pass on their genes for the next generation. Those individual who are less suited to the environment will die.

    Read More

More about On The Origin Of Species Darwin Summary

Open Document