Throughout human history mankind has seen itself as the most important creation in the universe. The only thing seen as greater than humanity was the gods. This is a common theme that is found in the histories of civilizations, cultures, and religions around the world. Any idea that said humans were different than this or that went against this notion was not only going against these respected institutions it was going against humanity itself. The theory of Evolution was one of the most revolutionary ideas to come forward. It used scientific research to explain how every animal adapted to its’ environment. The controversy of this idea came when Charles Darwin released his book the Descent of Man. In this book he explained how not only animals evolved, but humans diverged from ancient animals as well. This was an ego shattering idea. Religious leaders today still deny the theory, and for good reason. However, I do not think that the biggest reason mankind has had such trouble latching onto this idea is that it goes against their respected religious beliefs. While that has a lot to do with it the main reason people are so against this idea is that admitting it to be true admits that humans are only higher animals. Where Humans used to be the greatest thing in the universe before evolution came along, now they were merely animals who were lucky enough to evolve into intelligent beings. Regardless of whether one believes in the Theory of Evolution, its controversy has affected our view of the meaning of life without the greatness of our humanity.
Charles Darwin, 1809-1882, was the author of On the Origin of Species. In this first book on the theory of evolution Darwin examined and explained how the different species of animals were ...
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... I think someone else would have come along with this theory had he not presented it. So the blame cannot be placed on Darwin alone. The credit for this discover should go to humanity. Science has helped humanity understand complicated problems, but as Evolution shows, it only helps to create more questions. How we understand ourselves and our place in the universe has changed forever. I am certain it will change again in the future, but we will never forget and always try to hang onto our humanity.
Works Cited
Wyhe, Dr. John van. “The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online.” Biography and Publications. NUS(National University of Singapore) and Arts & Humanities Research Council, 2002. http://darwin-online.org.uk . Feb 22, 2011.
Scheifler, Michael. “Pope John Paul II Declares Evolution to be Fact!.” Bible Light. www.biblelight.net/darwin.htm Feb 22, 2011.
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.
Darwin: A Norton Critical Edition, Second Edition ; ed. by Philip Appleman; copyright 1979, 1970 by W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
In 1859, Charles Darwin, a geologist published ‘The Origin of species.’ This book was published in a society where the idea of a descent with change or evolution was not a controversial topic. Darwin used the data from his experiments on nature to convince everybody that his theory of Natural selection was correct.
"Charles Darwin: The Father of Evolution." Darwin1. University of Missouri, n.d. Web. 04 May 2014.
Evolution became extremely popular since the publication of Charles Darwin’s theory in his infamous book, The Origin of Species: By Means of Natural Selection or The Preservation of...
Darwin, Charles Robert. The Origin of Species. New York: P.F. Collier & Son, 1909. Print.
A lot of people, Christians and non-Christians alike often question the accuracy of the theory of evolution. Those who express doubts about the theory are often labelled “unscientific” or “backwards” by some in the pro-evolution camp. At times, the popular perception of evolution seems to be that it has been proven beyond all doubt and there are no scientific obstacles left for it. In fact, there are quite a few scientific flaws in the theory that provide many reasons for it to be doubted. It is true though, none of these questions necessarily disproves evolution, but they do show how the theory is less than settled.
In the early 1840s, the main principles of Darwin’s theory of evolution were formulated by the mechanism of natural selection; however, he did not publish it. Although evolutionary theory sprouted in many places, Darwin rejected the publication of his theory, and it was not until 1859 that he published “On the Origin of Species” (Darwin, 1859).
Darwinism, the theory of evolution, is a controversial theory that is still being contemplated today. Before the 19th century scientist were puzzled by the idea of where humans, plants, and animals originated. In the late 1700s the question was first tried by a group of scientist, but they were not successful. It was not until a young Charles Darwin found interest in the subject that the discovery was finally able to become a theory. His observations led to his theory of evolution by natural selection. Although, it was a new discovery that shocked so many, Darwin and his accomplices did not realize how significant their newfound theory was. ~~~~
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.
Darwin, Charles. From The Origin of Species. New York: P.F. Collier and Son Corporation, 1937. 71-86; 497-506.
Desmond, A. & Moore, J. Darwin: The Life of a Tormented Evolutionist. W.W. Norton & Company. New York. 1994
Gould, Stephen Jay. "Evolution as Fact and Theory." The Norton Mix. Editor Katie Hannah. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2010. 110-119.
Charles Darwin was a naturalist born on the 12th of February 1809 in England. Darwin grew up loving nature and went to Edinburgh University. On the trip around the world Darwin collected natural samples including birds, plants and fossils. Darwin found a particular interest in the Pacific islands and South America. When he arrived back in England he wrote up his findings as part of the Captain narrative. Darwin started working on his own theory after coming back from the trip. He observed that species had same characteristics all over the world this lead him to believe that species slowly evolved from their ancestors. In 1859 Charles Darwin published his work in his book On the Origin of Species.
Human species or in scientific terms know as, Homo Sapiens has evolved drastically in the last couple of billion years. Human evolution all started from our great ancestors, the chimpanzees. Human evolution started all in the continent of Africa. Due to global changes, evolution changed over time. Thus leading to the evolution of mankind. But man didn't just evolve from chimpanzees. There were a lot of scientific processes and different events that led up to final evolution of mankind. But what does it mean humans evolved from chimpanzees? Why is the human evolution such a small speck in the evolution graph of the evolution of the whole earth? These questions that have been asked frequently by curious people has led scientists to dig deeper into this topic. The answers to how humans evolved has led to some great discoveries.