Charles Darwin: Naturalist and Leader in Science

Charles Darwin is one the most influential scientists in our history. Without his speculation and theories on evolution, the way we look at evolution today may have been very misguided. Darwin created new ideas and theories that dramatically changed the way we see science today. His impact on the scientific community was both exciting yet controversial.

Charles Darwin (1809-1882) was a British naturalist who became famous for his theories in evolution. He believed all species evolved form a common ancestor and that evolution happened through a process called natural selection, which meant survival of the fittest. In the BNW, the different castes of people were made from a common ancestor (a single individual). Thus, creating hundreds of his or her clones. Since the directors believed in survival of the fittest, they made the best kind of people so that they may live long in a specific environment.

Darwin’s theory of evolution was a ground-breaking discovery for the study of life. Although Darwin gets most of the credit for the discovery his influences Charles Lyell, the father of geology and Erasmus Darwin, a pre-Darwinian evolutionist, made great contributions to the theory. The majority of the scientific community was quite receptive to Darwin’s evolution by natural selection theory because it provided an explanation for many things that the current origin of life theory, special creation, did not. The scientific community did have some trouble accepting his work because it did not describe how the evolving genes were transferred from generation to generation which was a very important piece of information that would solidify his for

Charles Darwin was an influential ideologist, known as the father of evolution. He created the theory of evolution in which species change overtime through what he called natural selection. Natural selection is the process when organisms that are better adapted to their environment survive and pass on their genetics. In The Descent of Man, Darwin explains various topics such as the similarities between races, the relevance of evolution in society, and the process of sexual selection. Ideas of The Descent of Man, were explored before Darwin, but what sets him apart is that he wanted to find the origin of man and ape as opposed to just stating similarities and differences. The theories that Darwin created contributed knowledge to evolution as

The 19th century was one of the most revolutionized eras in the history of the world. It is in this time period that the power shift was on a constant stir; empires falling, empires rising, and important discoveries that would change the world forever. Many Significant theories and belief systems were established, as well as the rise of some of the potent people in history. One person that is remembered for his work and celebrated for his theories is English biologist and scientist Charles Darwin. He is the sole theorists who conjured up the idea of human evolution, commonly known today as “Darwinism”. In effort to ensure this is recognized this paper continues on into the life of Charles Darwin, his story, his achievements,

Although Darwin’s (1809-1882) work in evolutionary observation might appear radically different from those focused on other areas, the theories he developed from these observation lead to such groundbreaking publishing’s as The Origin of Species. These intern caused an upset within the then accepted norms of philosophy and religion, had a profound impact on the academia, and further

Darwin’s ideas were seen in culture as so drastically different from all his predecessors. They were unheard of, and revolutionary. Because of their unorthodox quality, individuals and people groups did not know how to respond

Although Charles Darwin has made a big footprint in the era of the evolutionary theory, it was not new, it was part

Although Charles Darwin is usually just looked at in the light of purely biology, his work that impacted other fields such as psychology or his work that lead to the rapid expansion of certain fields such as ethology, is often looked over. Darwin’s work impacted these fields both directly and indirectly at such a level of influence that some people believe that psychology should be looked at as pre- and post-Darwin. On the Origin of Species, while being primarily about biological phenomena and theories, was one of these works that impacted psychology indirectly. Other than giving a new perspective for psychologists to possess when contemplating different ideas, Darwin’s work on natural selection lead to the creation of evolutionary psychology.

Darwin’s theories and discoveries caused much controversy to the world and still does today. These controversies occur more in

Charles Darwin discovered and developed this evolutionary mechanism called natural selection. It basically stated that if there existed variation in population there would be a struggle of survival. Darwin meant that those traits that were the most fit would be passed on to the next generation more often.

Throughout history, many have inquired into Charles Darwin’s religious beliefs and have come up with a wide variety of answers. Why are his personal beliefs important when dealing with a matter of science that Darwin researched? Darwin excluded the question of a Creator from his works because it was irrelevant to his scientific research, and the debate regarding Darwin’s faith arises due to his conflicting accounts of his personal faith as well as the way his early childhood and teenage years shaped his religious views at different times and provided a foundation for his revolutionary research.

Charles Darwin is many times seen as radical and brash. The theories that Darwin proposed were enough to change the face of religion, social culture and history as we know it. What many fail to understand is: it took Darwin twenty years to perfect his Theory of Natural Selection before he would publish On the Origin of Species. He had seen firsthand what could happen if haste, rather than reason was applied to the unveiling of his findings. Darwin made further observations of the species over the course of that twenty-year span, all the time observing not only the species that he was studying, but the changes in society as well. His observations were not made in order to create social commentary, but rather to ensure that the presentation of his research would be best received. As he watched his contemporaries present their knowledge to a very theatrical 19th century Europe, he consulted with professionals of every field in order to ensure that his theories would be well received and that they would stand the test of time. He would be known to Europe not as a

Charles Darwin devoted his adult life to trying to understand the process of evolution. At 22 years of age, he sailed off to South America to study various species of plants and animals. Darwin spent many years researching and documenting what he believed was a logical and scientific explanation of our existence. He felt strongly that life started in the simplest form and then later became more complex with each species over generations. Darwin was a radical of sorts. In the article, Darwin, published by the American Museum of Natural History (2005-2006), he was referred to as a revolutionary, and even though he was hesitant to do so because he knew it would cause outrage; he changed our view of the natural world (para. 3).

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.