Darwin’s Theory of Evolution: Insights, Influence, and Debate Essay

Comparing Lamarck and Darwin’s Evolutionary Theories

The theory of evolution for all species on Earth is credited to Charles Darwin. However, many scientists, researchers, and naturalists before him developed their own views on the changes in animals and plants and considered the history of humankind. Darwin shared some opinions with such enthusiasts as Lamarck and Wallace while being opposed by creationists and their faith-based theories about the world. Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species is revolutionary in its approach to the evolution of living organisms due to its novelty and use of previous knowledge.

One of the scientists that shared the evolutionary view of nature with Darwin was Lamarck. Both naturalists argued that life was not stagnant but changing and adapting to the environment. Nevertheless, Lamarck’s views differed – he theorized that animals and other organisms evolved according to a set plan, and each step in this process was predetermined. Lamarck focused on the “physical conditions of life,” believing that the changes developed during an organism’s life are passed on to the next generation. [Darwin, An Historical Sketch, quoted from Appleman 1861: 87]

Darwin’s Voyage on the Beagle and the Development of His Theory

In contrast, Darwin posed that evolution did not follow a plan, and the changes in species occurred due to the survival of the individuals with the most suitable genetics. These traits were passed on to future generations, making the transition gradual and based on natural selection. [De Beer, Biology Before the Beagle, quoted from Appleman 1964: 34]. The five-year-long voyage on the Beagle greatly impacted Darwin’s views, where he explored the world and discovered different fossils, new species, and land formations.

Darwin vs. Lamarck: Countering Earlier Evolutionary Theories

Lamarck’s views that countered the belief in the survival of genetically fit species were disproven by observing the lack of traits passed on between generations. Now, Lamarck’s theory can be dismissed on the basis of genetics – a study that was not yet fully developed during Darwin’s lifetime.

Alfred Russel Wallace and His Role in Evolutionary Debates

Darwin was not alone in thinking about natural selection – Albert Russell Wallace was another naturalist who shared his opinions. Both men researched the different species and supported their findings with observations found in nature, exchanging letters and discussing their theories. In 1858, Wallace’s and Darwin’s research was shown to the Linnaean Society, which did not make a strong impression. [The Ladder of Creation 1973: 29:40] The theories of the two scientists were almost identical – but Darwin later published his book, The Origin of Species, in 1859. The book became a great point of attention to the scholar’s work and overshadowed the studies of Wallace.

Influence of Other Sciences on Darwin’s Theory

Darwin’s research involved many sciences, including geology, physics, mathematics, and more. By observing more than animals, the scholar contributed to the knowledge about nature and his own opinions. For instance, he wrote about the formation of coral reefs and theorized about the processes that change the planet’s surface during his travels.

Contemporary geologists also explored the Earth and formulated different theories about land creation. The school of catastrophism posed that the planet’s surface was formed through great incidents that led to volcanic eruptions, mountain uplift, species’ extinction, and evolution of those that remained. [De Beer, Biology Before the Beagle, quoted from Appleman 1964: 36]

Challenges to Darwin’s Theory

This theory was opposed by uniformitarianism and the arguments by Lyell, who posed that the Earth’s surface was changing continuously and gradually. [Lyell, Principles of Geology, quoted from Appleman 1867: 285]. Darwin’s observations aligned with this theory, although it was difficult to prove the genetic basis of evolution and its connection to the changing conditions of the surface due to the lack of gene research. [American Institute of Biological Sciences, Resolution Opposing Creationism, quoted from Appleman 1999: 614] As noted above, the later investigations into hereditary genetical traits closed this gap, while Lord Kelvin’s determination of the Earth’s age questioned the planned and perpetual existence of the Earth.

The Debate Over Creationism

Another belief about the planet and its inhabitants was that life’s creation was a divine process. Creationism was a faith-based belief, stating that “the phenomenon of biological life … was specially and supernaturally created by the Creator.” [Institute for Creation Research, Tenets of Creationism, quoted from Appleman 1998: 556] Morris, an engineer; Johnson, a law professor; and Behe, a biochemist, supported a type of scientific creationism and tried to point out various issues in Darwin’s theory. Morris wrote, “the similarities” between species “are better explained by creation and the differences are predicted by creation.” [Morris, Scientific Creationism, quoted from Appleman 1985: 558].

The response to these views from the scientific community was critical, noting “the vast amount of detail from natural history that is compatible (only) with the idea that evolution actually took place.” [Scott, Review of Johnson, quoted from Appleman 1992: 587] Dawkins wrote that “the living results of natural selection overwhelmingly impress us” as if someone designed them. [Dawkins, The argument from Personal Incredulity, quoted from Appleman 1987: 577]. The scientist noted that such an impression was false, as one’s inability to understand or prove how something happened did not immediately imply its divine existence. Similarly, Ruse argued that creationists’ arguments were shallow and outdated, while evolutionists’ beliefs were rooted in empirical research. [Ruse, Darwin’s New Critics, quoted from Appleman 1998: 605]

The Revolutionary Impact of The Origin of Species

Although Darwin was not the only scientist interested in evolutionism, his tremendous research contributed to the theory of evolution and its development in the scientific community. The decades of travels and explorations allowed Darwin to create a system that documented the adaptation and survival of living organisms. His book, The Origin of Species, was a ground-breaking publication that opened up a major debate about the origins of life and human biology, furthering investigations in geology, genetics, biology, and physics.

References

American Institute of Biological Sciences. Resolution Opposing Creationism in Science Courses (1999). Quoted from [Appleman 2000: 614].

Appleman, Philip, ed. A Darwin Reader (Norton Critical Edition). 3^rd ed. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000.

Darwin, Charles. An Historical Sketch of the Progress of Opinion on the Origin of Species, previously to the Publication of This Work (1861). Quoted from [Appleman 2000: 87–94].

Dawkins, Richard. The Argument from Personal Incredulity (1987). Quoted from [Appleman 2000: 577–580].

De Beer, Gavin. Biology Before the Beagle (1964). Quoted from [Appleman 2000: 33–39].

Institute for Creation Research. Tenets of Creationism (1998). Quoted from [Appleman 2000: 555–557].

Lyell, Charles. Principles of Geology (1867). Quoted from [Appleman 2000: 285–287].

Morris, Henry M. Scientific Creationism (1985). Quoted from [Appleman 2000: 557–564].

Ruse, Michael. Darwin’s New Critics on Trial (1998). Quoted from [Appleman 2000: 605–612].

Scott, Eugenie C. Review of Johnson (1992). Quoted from [Appleman 2000: 586–592].

The Ladder of Creation: The Ascent of Man, Episode 9. Hosted by Jacob Bronowski. 1973. New York, NY: Little Brown & Co. Web.