Essay on Ernst Mayr's What Evolution Is: Creationism vs Evolution

Since the beginning of the human race there has been a lingering question as to the origins of man and how all living things acquired their characteristics. The two main theories that arose over time were Creationism and Evolution, both of which provided very distinct answers to this question. Creationism based its answer on the idea of a supernatural power or being that created the entire universe, man and the numerous other organisms that live within it. While, Evolution theorizes that all living things have the potential to change and grow over time into something new and different. So in other words, one theory suggests that humans and all the organisms on Earth are the result of divine design, while the other indicates that they

In the modern world, mankind is surrounding by a plethora of unique animals, plants, and other organism that have a certain natural design all their own. For instance, every organism appears to be best suited in their natural environment, as they are usually able thrive under unique conditions that may not optimal for every organism. Thus, it would appear as though divine intervention was necessary for this perfect design and placement of an organism into their environment. Consequently, this was the ideology for many centuries until Charles Darwin explained how these “illusions” fit into his theory of natural selection. Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection stated that the process by which forms of life having traits that better enable them to adapt to specific environmental pressures, such as predators, changes in climate, or competition for food or mates, will tend to survive and reproduce in greater numbers than others of their kind, thus ensuring the perpetuation of those favorable traits in succeeding generations (Cite). Although it is widely accepted that many of human’s physical traits are inherited from their parents, the notion that the mind has evolved and is designed to function is certain ways is still controversial (Cite). With that being said, the majority of theories that illustrate how the mind develops are still being debated. Moreover, the

In Inherit The Wind, by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, is about a big trial in a small town, and a controversial Creation versus Evolution debate. There are many characters with flamboyant and powerful personalities. Among them are: Matthew Harrison Brady, and Henry Drummond. Although all of these influential people are powerful, not all of them have the same amount of power, not only over other people, but over themselves as well.

At the time of the publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of the Species it was widely thought that the world had not changed materially since creation. Creation itself was thought to have had occurred rather recently. The Archbishop of Ireland, James Ussher (1581-1656), famously calculated the date of creation in his 1654 classic work Annalium Pars Posterior to 4004 B.C. (Jones 2005). A biblical interpretation of the history of the world did therefore not allow for the immense stretches of time necessary for the gradual changes advocated by Darwin, changes that would result in the observed diversity of

Evolution is the key thread running throughout this text, signifying its importance to the author and readers. It is emphasized greatly because that is how we understand ourselves, our past, present and even the future. Through evolution we have discovered when the first organisms came around and how modifications led to the first fish to migrate to land about 375 million years

Whether it is through competition, symbiotic relationships, pollinator dynamics or the millions of other interactions that occur in nature, species have evolved together and thus live in certain niches or behave in certain ways in order to survive. When I was younger I always thought of these observations as just the way things had to be in order for nature to work, but now I realize these relationships are key to understanding how the natural world has evolved due to environmental conditions. Furthermore, the understanding of the mechanisms behind these natural phenomena are important in developing solutions to the current mass extinctions and decline of species. The biodiversity I observed as a child in the mountains and the biodiversity that I am studying now in college is one of the subjects I find to be most intriguing and important about evolutionary biology. The ways in which species evolve through natural selection and thus differentiate how they behave, look, or live is what contributes to the natural beauty and interconnected interactions of nature that first made me love animals and the outdoors. The mechanisms of evolutionary biology keep me inspired to learn about the natural world in order to determine how I can help preserve it. This has led to my aspirations of going to graduate school in wildlife biology and pursuing a career in research to solve current issues in wildlife

Since the Age of the Enlightenment, the institution of religion has had to contend with the opposition of science regarding the issues of the origins of the world and of the human species. Up until around the end of the 17th century, the church was the authority on how the world and everything in it had come to be. However, with the great intellectual revolution came thinkers such as Galileo, Copernicus, Bacon, Descartes, and many others who challenged the biblical assumptions with empirically deduced scientific theories. The Catholic Church had a nasty habit of persecuting such ideological dissent toward creationism, calling it heresy and thereby somewhat suppressing a complete upheaval of the Scriptures. For many centuries to come,

In topic 1, the introduction to human uniqueness and social coercion theory, we are introduced to some of the common misinterpretation behind Charles’ Darwin’s theory of evolution, specifically in regards to natural selection and survival of the fittest. One of the biggest contributors to this issue is the lack of exposure to the general public on the overall theory behind these two processes. Instead of a full detailed explanation about natural selection and survival of the fittest, we are just told that it is slow and that to be fit means a level of superiority among competition, respectively. Topic 1 revealed that this is not true, as well as stating that natural selection is about individual risk, benefit and cost is of the utmost importance(Bingham). Based on this newly found insight from the course, how does individual risk, benefit, and cost play such an important role in natural selection even though selection is seen in a population and not a

“Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish.” [Page 3] It is shown that Dawkins believes that the selfishness of our genes make them able to reproduce copies of themselves; this is the starting point of

Many scientists believe variations are caused by environmental factors, such as food availability, weather and more; and that species evolve when environmental conditions change to increase the species survival. Darwin censures this idea; he believed that the main cause of variation is due to reproduction (Chapter I). Darwin suggested that parents pass down specific characteristics to their offspring, and those variations are continued on in the following generations. The problem with Darwin’s theory of reproduction is that Darwin did not comprehend how or why some characteristics are perennial and how others are not. Darwin’s inferences on variations also conflict with the idea that God created species independently, which was widely understood by many people in a time where religion was prominent (Chapter II).

From the beginning of life, there have been uncountable numbers of living organisms and species across the planet. But what forces are at play to create such diversity. Surely, competition for resources drives evolution, but there are many styles of obtaining these resources and avoiding dangers. Interspecific competition comes from two species competing for the same resource. Over time, these forces push species to obtain these resources differently. This could be from changing the time or location of getting this resource, to adapting different functions or

In 1895 Charles Darwin published a book describing his theory of evolution, and his theory of the natural selection process. This theory caused much uproar in the religious community because Darwin’s theory went against the story of creation portrayed in the Holy Bible. His theory claimed that all life currently in place had evolved and adapted from a single organism in the beginning. Over time and by process of natural selection only the dominant species were left over while the other, less dominant species, went extinct. His theory, backed by scientific analysis, had dismissed the idea of a single deity creating all life on Earth. It is not like Darwin had a personal agenda against religion or anything,

In this chapter, the topics of natural selection and the struggle for existence. He makes the important point that these two concepts are intertwined, especially because the struggle for existence will eventually ‘weed out’ some organisms while those who have variations which are favorable for the environment will survive, adapt and pass on their genes to the next generation. He also highlights the role that the environment plays in the struggle for existence; a particular variation might let a species thrive in one environment but might be disadvantageous in another environment. In this way, the most useful adaptations for success in a particular environment is inherited by offspring and the less advantageous characteristic die out as organisms that possess them do. He also talks about the role of nature in the struggle for existence by citing the fact that events like natural disasters and even predator-prey relationships allow for the survival of some organisms,

The article, “A Matter of Scale,” urges the audience to observe the small and extraordinary components of the biosphere and acknowledge its genetic variations as explained by Darwin’s theory of evolution. However, Kelly’s essay, “Evolution: An Article of Faith,” considers Darwin’s theory as a “false religion” suppressing God’s ability to create the “work of intelligence.” (Evolution) The heated debate over the credibility of Darwin’s theory of evolution has led to the division of scientific and religious groups. Devoted, religious people discover two major flaws with Darwin’s theory of evolution regarding the inaccuracies of the fossil record and the contradicting phrase “survival of the fittest” that has passed on harmful mutations to next

In the history of science vs. religion there have been no issues more intensely debated than evolution vs. creationism. The issue is passionately debated since the majority of evidence is in favor of evolution, but the creation point of view can never be proved wrong because of religious belief. Human creation breaks down into three simple beliefs; creation theory, naturalistic evolution theory, and theistic evolution theory. The complexities of all three sides create a dilemma for what theory to support among all people, religious and non-religious.