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origin of species by charles darwin essay
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On Thursday 24 November 1859, Charles Darwin published and made available to the western world his magnum opus, On the Origin of Species, a compilation of some twenty plus years of research regarding the human biology and its advancement. Darwin proposed in Origins that all life slowly evolved, biologically mutated over a period of time, to its present day form. Expanding on prior research in the field of genetics, Darwin theorized a "survival of the fittest" complex which forced basic animals to evolve new advanced traits to survive in their respective environments, in the process theorizing that humans also evolved from lesser creatures. Darwin's theory of evolution was meet with critical response, mainly negative, at the time of its inception, but slowly gained support in the years following. In particular at the time of Origins publishing, the western world was undergoing a religious revival of sorts thanks to the rise of Evangelicalism. Due to conflicts of interest between Darwin's proposed theory of evolution directly contradicting the biblical theory of creationism, much controversy was generated by the publication of Origins. Creationism which stressed the belief of one omnipotent God creating the world and all its inhabitants was the most widely spread belief during this time period. Across the western world different assortments of clergymen attacked, or surprisingly stood in solidarity with the theory of evolution. This brings into question, why were the responses to evolution so disparaging? This can be explained that due to prior established beliefs and knowledge of respective individuals, the reaction to the theory of evolution was at first quite negative, but overtime became more and more accepting as people grew t...
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...tarted rationalizing their emotions, the clarity of evolution dawned upon their eyes, and of acceptance of new foreign ideas. Here was a thing that not only could explain the mysteries of life, but also serve as testimonial to the foolishness of pride. Evolution was a hallmark in the relations between science and religion, as the two sides realized neither was trying to undermine the other, and even in some cases joined in union to promote humanities advancement. The story of evolution is significant to history not only because of its scientific achievements, but also the gap it bridged between the scientific and religious community, and the lesson it taught that acceptance of new ideas does not have to mean the end of prior beliefs altogether. No other scientific revolution has generated as much human controversy and unity as Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
Loewenberg, Bert J. "The Reaction of American Scientists to Darwinism." American Historical Review. 38 (1933): 687-701.
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.
Many people feared the topic or term of evolution because they thought if someone is talking about evolution in a scientific way than it was against their religion. Many people have different views or opinions on evolution, in the 1920’s many people immediately associated the term evolution and automatically related it in biblical terms of evolution. Most people when someone would talk about evolution and relate it to science they would get offended because they believed differently because of their religion. “By the 1930’s most of the urban churches of America had been able to reconcile Darwin's theory with the Bible,but rural preachers preferred a stricter interpretation (The Monkey Trial).” The people who got offended about people talking about evolution in another way than the bible also thought it was against their religion to teach or talk about evolution in a fear that it could affect how their children thought about their religion.”In the years that followed his 1859 declaration America's churches hotly debated whether to accept the findings of modern science continues following the teaching of ancient scripture (The Monkey Trial)”. Many parents feared that if their child or children were taught evolution that then that would influence their religion. Multiple parents were very upset that their children were taught Darwin's theory of evolution. “By 1925, Bryan and his followers had succeeded in getting
The “Roaring Twenties” was a time period known for its innovation. Skirts got shorter, teens got bolder, and Prohibition was in full swing. These changes also gave way to a time period full of religious conflict. “In [religious] minds, Prohibition had always been about more than alcohol. It represented an effort to defend traditional American values against the growing influence of an urban, cosmopolitan culture” (Gillon 152). Charles Darwin had published his book, The Evolution of Species, in 1859 and The Descent of Man in 1871, detailing the evolution of man from ape-like creatures. When A Civic Biology, a biology textbook containing information on evolution, was published in 1914, teachers around the country began using it in their courses. By the twenties, these books had sparked all sorts of new ideas regarding the origin of man as well as opposition due to the creature from which he claimed we evolved and to the disagr...
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...
Darwin’s theories and beliefs of his time caused a huge uproar among masses of people who knew of them. Even his scientist colleagues did not like the way some of his theories contradict beliefs in the Bible. One of the major theories that started it all was that of Natural Selection.
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.
Le Beau, Bryan F. "Science and Religion: A Historical Perspective on the Conflict over Teaching Evolution in the Schools." EbscoHost. MARHO, n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. .
The evolution of apes was a possibility in the 19th century. Although religion had been cherished for centuries, the doubts in people’s mines began to express many uncertainties about the bible and started to question their own beliefs. The issue of evolution was a huge concern in the 19th century as it was destroying the view of god and how he made the world; this caused many people to either change their views on life or their religion which had a huge part in resolving people’s beliefs in their own culture. This has had a huge impact on today’s society due to the involvement of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution. In the 19th century people believed that we came/ were made by Adam & Eve, but through Darwinism there was a controversy between churches and peoples beliefs.
The great and famous Charles Darwin is still remembered today after almost 2 centuries had passed. He was one of the most significant scientists to change how we view this world. Life, as we know it, was changed by Charles Darwin. But I don’t believe that looking at the present will help in any way so I will take back to the past. It is a fact that throughout history people have always believed in some sort of god. Some religions were weak and have come and gone, where others have come and stayed. Many historic wars were fought for a god. So I believe it is safe to say that religion was the most important thing in life for everyday people. Then comes the renaissance, a time of successful new art, science and new ideas. Humans came out of the middle ages with the ability to further their knowledge. Now that mankind are thinking for themselves, god is being pushed more and more to the side. The belief that there was a god became more and more a theory. I believe that in the future people will put away the idea of religion completely due to the fact that they believe it was only needed for those whose thinking was limited to a certain idea. I agree that the theory of evolution is as much theory as is the theory of gravity. Even today some scholars and scientists argue and debate on the theory of evolution. However, evolution is the required force holding all the biological research. Firstly, evolution has been observed and the idea of analogous structure. Secondly, the idea of homologous structures; and the difference between analogous and homologous structures. And lastly, the obvious, general human intelligence has evolved.
Over the last 150 years, evolutionary theory has completely refined people’s understanding of changes in the inherited characteristics of biological populations over time, and this theory has now become a unifying concept of the life sciences. In 1859, through his book The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin proposed that organisms evolve over time to adapt to their environment and therefore achieve longevity and success as a species at large. Moreover, Darwin was able to support his theory with significant research, and subsequent studies were able to provide additional backing for evolution. Needless to say, this theory caused great controversy at the time it was proposed, especially among religious groups. Darwin’s theory blatantly disputed other ideas specific to certain religious cultures pertaining to the origins of life, such as intelligent design. This opposition detrimentally delayed acceptance of Darwinism and further scientific research based upon the theory. Despite being universally accepted as fact among the scientific community for decades, the ever-present opposition from pious religious subcultures still calls into question whether evolution should be taught to students in high school biology classes. Darwin’s theory of evolution is backed by extensive data, is accepted science that students, due to academic integrity, have a right to learn and, unlike alternative theories based mostly on theology, is based solely on facts; therefore, evolution should be included in the high school curriculum.
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.
In 1859, English Biologist Charles Darwin suggested a process in which species change over time which is known as natural selection. Darwin did not discover natural selection using genetics as he had no knowledge of genetics since it had not been discovered. Since then genetics has provided the solid evidence to support natural selection as the process by which evolution occurs. He began his journey in 1831 when he went to work on the HMS Beagle where he spent five years drawing maps of lands they visited and keeping a journal of their findings with his crew members. Darwin observed that many species that were related, faintly differed depending on where they were found. Darwin’s observation was influenced by the writings of Thomas Malthus, who proposed a constant battle for survival among species which led to Darwin’s Controversial theory The Origin of species in 1859. A century has passed since Darwin has presented his Theory of Evolution through natural selection where he argued that species
At the age of seventeen, Kilpatrick went to Mercer University (his father’s Alma Mater) and was a top performer in ancient languages and mathematics. During his junior year, Kilpatrick came across a book titled The Origin of Species, which made a significant impact on his professional, as well as personal life. “The more I read it the more I believed it and in the end I accepted it fully. This meant a complete reorganization, a complete rejection of my previous religious training and philosophy” (Beyer, 1997, pg. 2). Kilpatrick strongly felt that his acceptance of Darwin’s theory on Origin of Species meant a rejection of his religion as a Christian and a strained relationship with his family. He noted that this turn of events, made him not believe in life after death and brought to an end the strong worship he had for God. Though, this discovery of “modern evolution” caused him to lose religious beliefs, Kilpatrick maintained his moral values (Beyer, 1997).
Prior to the nineteenth century, the existence of god and the fixity of species was accepted by the people. Governments and churches were one. They ruled it all, and punished anyone that would challenge them. In 1859 the book, The Origin Of Species, was published. The author, Charles Darwin, was attacked by the media, and mocked by many. He became the face of a generation for the idea that man were descendants of apes. The theory of evolution was dismissed. In today's society, there is much more evidence leading to the possibilities of it being a reality. The field of physical anthropology is now responsible for ideas and theories that might contribute to the Theory of Evolution.