The Development Of A Scientific Theory

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.

One way or another Darwin presented an idea that totally offended some prominent men of his time. It was an absolute dare for the origin of species of origin to be published at that time, not because it was the first book or first idea of such, but it was publication that shook the widely believed and accepted foundation of the creation of the world and the things in it.

However, his passion for natural science never swayed. It was this intricate fascination that brought Charles about meeting Professor John Stevens Henslow. Henslow was a specialist in botany. Overtime Henslow and Charles became quite close friends. In the article titled: “Charles Darwin: man behind monkey” author Christine Dao further explained the following events after the fact that Charles and Henslow became close friends. Henslow had the opportunity to accompany Captain Robert Fitzroy to the Americas as a naturalist. He extended this opportunity to the “novice” naturalists Charles. Dao’s article states, “Henslow proposed that Darwin take his place on the HMS Beagle journey to the Americas as an unpaid naturalist and gentleman companion to Captain Robert Fitzroy. Darwin was almost a complete novice, his experience based only on rudimentary geological studies, beetle-collecting, and the dissection of marine

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

Natural selection, together with the rules of inheritance discovered by Gregor Mendel, stand at the basis of modern evolutionary biology.

(D) - Charles Darwin wrote “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection”, published in 1859. His book explained the theory of evolution, and the process of natural selection. Darwin’s work was met with much dissent at the time of its release, as what he proposes directly conflicts with many Christian beliefs on the creation of the world. Today, the

Alfred Russel Wallace may not be well known outside of the scientific community, but his contributions to the Theory of Evolution were invaluable to Charles Darwin. In fact, Wallace and Darwin collaborated on the idea of natural selection and presented their own findings jointly to the Linnean Society in London. Alfred Russel Wallace has become not much more than a footnote in history in that regard due to Darwin publishing his book On the Origin of Species before Wallace could publish his work.

"Much has been written on whether or not the Darwinian theory was original. Inevitably, historians have concluded that there was little novelty in what Darwin and Wallace were saying. Down through the centuries, from ancient Greek times on, various writers have suggested that new species can arise through the modification of old and that among all the possible organic types, the world contains only those that can survive the struggle for life." (8)

And then, a bold English naturalist and geologist dares disturb the peace by publishing a 502-page piece of scientific literature that introduces us to the scientific theory of evolution through natural selection. The culprit’s name is Charles Darwin, the book in question is titled On The Origin of Species, and some people see this as an attempt at proving that God does not exist.

1 . Species living today are descended from other species that live in the past .

Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace like so many of their predecessors made observations of natural phenomena that inspired proposals of how life on earth evolved, unlike others these men formed plausible explanations of how the changes in populations occurred without having any knowledge of Mendelian genetics which was presented in 1868, and provided the micro-mechanism for evolution that Darwin could never explain with his theory of Pangenesis. Rather, based solely on the observations each made over time observing different species of populations around the world, both men were able to pen the ideals that would serve as the foundation of the modern theory of evolution.

Darwin, C. (1859) On the origin of species. London: John Murray. Retrieved: 2/6/12 from: h

The Beagle’s purpose was to secure a final survey of the South American continent for trade safety reasons. The captain of the ship, Robert Fitzroy, and Darwin hit it off immediately. The Beagle was a very small ship, measuring only 90 feet. (White and Gribben 53). On December 27, 1831 the ship left the port of Devonport. Darwin immediately became sick and remained ill for most of the voyage. The trip also had its light points. Upon crossing the equator, the Captain took it upon himself to perform the time old ritual on the 31-crew members. Beginning with Darwin, each sailor was tarred and feathered, which soon after resulted in a huge water fight. Darwin wrote in his

During the time when Charles Darwin was alive (1809-1882) most of the Western culture believed that the world was created by God and only several thousand years old. They believed that our world was always like it was then. So when Darwin wrote The Origin of Species it shook up both the cultural and scientific views of his time. His views that evolution occurs by natural selection was one of the most radial theories during his time, yet today is widely accepted as a fact among most of the world.

The theory of evolution is significant as repeated testing that explains “an observable, verifiable truth – that life on this plant has changed over time.” (Fuentes, 22) It is the well-supported history of where all life came from on this planet.