The Idea Of Natural Selection

Natural selection is the process in which heritable traits that make it more likely for organisms to survive and successfully reproduce become more common in a population over successive generations. Each of us individuals is specifically shaped and formed by our own genetic pattern. We inherit this pattern half from are mother and half from are father. The cause of this is the proximate cause that led it’s phenotype to ultimate causes. Much of we know today about evolution derives from the late great pioneer, Charles Darwin. Charles Darwin was an english naturalist that even from an early age was very interested in outdoor pursuits. Early in his prep career his father tried sending him to the University of Edinburg to pursue his medical

The idea that all humans are born equal has been something that has been almost installed in our minds. However, in the eyes of Peter Singer, we as humans are constantly violating our own moral code in the way we treat animals. Singer refers to this as speciesism and compares our treatment of animals to the same way sexists and racists treat those who they deem inferior. He also argues that the grounds on which they base their prejudice on are equally fragile. He illustrates this by comparing speciesists to racists. He recalls, “The racists violates the principle of equality by giving greater weight to the interests of his own race…similarly the speciesist allows the interests of his own species to override the greater interests of members of another species” (53.) He initiates this argument by explaining how our willingness to declare all humans as equal when the opposite is fundamentally true. Singer writes, “Like it or not, we must face the fact that humans come in different shapes and sizes; they come with differing moral capacities, differing intellect…if the demand for equality was based on the actual equality of all human beings, we would have to stop demanding equality” (51). Singer seeks to establish that our push for equality ends once the being in question is no longer human. Once he establishes this, he can quickly draw parallels between our unequal treatment of animals and humans. He evolves what initially begins as a far-fetched claim to a nuanced and

For more than 150 years, a revolutionary idea has been spreading all over the world. It helped us discover our origins and revealed our place in nature. It led to the unification of once independent fields of scientific inquiry. And it is being used today to tackle some of the most pressing problems facing modern civilization. But its implications go far beyond science. It has shaped our culture, politics, philosophy and religion, and it has been used to justify war and genocide. That idea is Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.

Evolutionary biology has always interested me, specifically the mechanisms of natural selection and how species adapt to their environment. It started with my love for animals and nature when I was little. I spent my summers working with horses at a local corral, where I would ride around the surrounding wilderness areas. My favorite part about riding in the mountains was watching the change in plant and animal species as the elevation changed. It never ceased to amaze me how the alpine tree line was always so sudden. Humongous pine trees would give way to the short, shrubby plants of the alpine tundra so uniformly and noticeably. I have always wondered about the environmental conditions that cause species to distribute themselves in

As the predominate species of Earth, humans possess qualities that distinguish the race as an ordered civilization, rather than an instinct based animal kingdom. However, what pertains to the human race that allows it to influence the world more strongly than other species? To understand humanity’s effect on Earth, it is imperative to know what a human is. Though genetically similar, humans are greatly distinguishable from animals through basic, yet key characteristics of idiosyncrasy, conscious thought, complex emotions, and advanced psychological development (Stix). Within the subjective realm, humans possess the ability to empathize and act upon free will.

The Struggle for Existence consists of facing checks and surviving long enough to pass on genes and Natural Selection is the process of animals being unfit or fit to pass on genes and make new species. Humans have their own the Struggle for Existence and Natural Selection that is based on the social and economic world we have created being that it is based on appearance and money. Humans have affected Natural Selection in negative ways mostly in trying to be Natural Selection and acting as it and positive ways making up for our mistakes that are good morally but not naturally. Overall humans have affected the natural process of Natural Selection and the Struggle for Existence in ways that benefit them in resources and morally benefit them but

The arguments for speciesism cover a large span of human’s self interests. We are desensitized through culture, tradition, religion, and convenience, all of which propagate man’s dominion, and “supremacy” over all other sentient beings; similarly, Adolph Hitler’s claimed Germany’s superiority over other races and its God given destiny to rule the world and everyone in it..

Evolution through natural selection is not a controversial topic. It is not controversial because religion preaches that the maker made each individual species. Many times religion teaches that each individual has a purpose and is created for a reason. Evolution claims that living species can change over time and give rise to new kinds of species, with the result that all organisms ultimately share a common ancestry. That being so, people can believe in both. In a religious view people can be correct and people who believe in evolution can also be correct. Evolution can be true for religion that the maker has made each individual species, he/she started it all with one species and through time the world has changed

The apex of human existence is to uncover what is human existence or further what is the reason anything exists and especially what does it mean to have conscious thought; in other words, to find out what it means to be human. This can be further expand upon on as what is everyone’s individual purpose and how would those purposes change based on the social, economic, and political situations which vary between person to person and even civilization to civilization. Does being human mean one is just an animal with conscience thought or is the reason behind why consciousness something much more than pure natural selection, because according to the theory of evolution natural selection is only a need to either help keep the moto of survival of

The advanced empires in Europe, in addition to the United States, began to use this new found idea as a tool for suppression and cohesion of ‘underdeveloped races’ for their own personal gain. Intended as a purely scientific study in the origin and evolution of species around the world, the text was perverted into a racist manifesto by some of its readers, becoming the platform on which a century and a half of racists grounded their beliefs. Following the publication of Origin of Species, the text had gained a significant following among the European intellectual community and they began to craft their own conclusions and theories surrounding Darwin and evolution. According to Darwin, all animals are subject to these laws of evolution, therefore it is logical that humans would also follow the same guidelines. This theory of human evolution was perverted into Social Darwinism and used to promote the idea of superior and inferior societies, as well as European imperialism in the second half of the 19th

Natural selection states that those organisms that have characteristics that best suit to the environment will survive, reproduce and pass some characteristics to their offspring. In any population that reproduces sexually, there are large variations of inheritable characteristics. If various groups of the same species become isolated from each other, the environments in which the groups are isolated may result into different characteristics to suit that particular

Coyne concludes his book by revealing that, even when faced with overwhelming evidence of evolution, many people refuse to believe in it. They are overwhelmed by the emotional consequences of acknowledging a common ancestry, not only with apes, but, truly, with all organisms on earth. I understand why this could cause people ethical difficulties. Humans have a history of dominion over other animals that includes significant cruelty. Therefore, I think that people who are anti-evolution may not be as opposed of the idea of humans as animals as they are to the idea that animals may share traits with humans. It leads one to the inevitable questioning about the morality of man’s assumed domination in the world. It also leads one to wonder

Charles Darwin broached the theory of natural selection in his book the Origin of Species, which has been considered the basis of evolutionary biology to this day. Natural selection is when populations of a species evolve over the course of many generations. Darwin believed that species were not created separately, but instead, species were derived from one another. In other words, the evolution of species creates many variations among creatures, and this is because all of those species came from a common ancestor, and characteristics changed to increase the species chance of survival.

Charles Darwin coined the Theory of Evolution which consisted of the idea that organisms arise and develop through natural selection. Humans were included in his nonspecific conclusion that species adapt to their environment on account of survival of the fittest, and in doing this, it increases one’s ability to compete, maintain life, and reproduce to keep their superior breed alive. While Darwin was thinking of the bigger concept, the present day analyst can conclude that his theory can be applied to a multitude of things customarily in life. This evolution of the individual thesis’ has exceeded the periphery of Charles Darwin’s theory as foreshadowed by his own philosophy. In America for example, there has been a concentrated century

All non-human animals are constrained by the tools that nature has bequeathed them through natural selection. They are not capable of striving towards truth; they simply absorb information, and behave in ways useful for their survival. The kinds of knowledge they require of the world have been largely pre-selected by evolution. No animal is capable of asking questions or generating problems that are irrelevant to its immediate circumstances or its evolutionarily-designed needs. When a beaver builds a dam, it doesn't ask itself why it does so, or whether there is a better way of doing it. When a swallow flies south, it doesn't wonder why it is hotter in Africa or what would happen if it flew still further south.