Theory of Evolution, Inventions, Books
Charles Darwin
Known for his massive work "Origin of the species" and "Descent of man", Charles
Darwin – the 19th century British naturalist is a father figure in science who gave
us the "Theory of Evolution". His
inventions, books helped us to know about Origin of Species.
According to Biography of Charles Robert Darwin,
he was born on 12 February 1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire into a wealthy and well-connected
family. His maternal grandfather was china manufacturer Josiah Wedgwood, while his
paternal grandfather was Erasmus Darwin, one of the leading intellectuals of 18th
century England.
Darwin himself initially planned to follow a medical career, and studied at Edinburgh
University but later switched to divinity at Cambridge. In 1831, he joined a five
year scientific expedition on the survey ship HMS Beagle.
This was the time when most Europeans believed that the world was created by God
in seven days as described in the bible. On the voyage, Darwin read Lyell's book 'Principles of Geology' which suggested that
the fossils found in rocks were actually evidence of animals that had lived millions
of years ago. Lyell's argument was reinforced in Darwin's own mind by the rich variety
of animal life and the geological features he saw during his voyage. The breakthrough
in his ideas came in the Galapagos Islands, 500 miles west of South America. Darwin
noticed that each island supported its own form of finch which were closely related
but differed in important ways.
On his return to England in 1836, Darwin tried to solve the riddles of these observations
and the puzzle of how species evolve. Influenced by the ideas of Malthus, he proposed
a theory of evolution occurring by the process
of natural selection. The animals (or plants) best suited to their environment are
more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on the characteristics which helped
them survive to their offspring. Gradually, the species changes over time.
Darwin worked on his theory for 20 years. After learning that another naturalist,
Alfred Russel Wallace, had developed similar ideas, the two made a joint announcement
of their discovery in 1858. In 1859 Darwin published 'On the Origin of Species by
Means of Natural Selection'.
Charles Darwin’s book was extremely controversial,
because the logical extension of Darwin's theory was that homosapien was simply
another form of animal. It made it seem possible that even people might just have
evolved - quite possibly from apes and destroyed the prevailing orthodoxy on how
the world was created.
Darwin's works have had a deep influence outside the field of natural sciences also.
Applied to politics it led to the talk about ‘favored races’. Darwin himself once
said, "Believing as I do that man in the distant future will be a more perfect creature
than he is now, it is an intolerable thought that he and all other sentient beings
are doomed to complete annihilation after such long-continued slow progress. To
those who freely admit the immortality of the human soul, the destruction of our
world will not appear so dreadful."
Biography of Charles Darwin has described him
as one of the most influential figures in human history. In recognition of Darwin's
pre-eminence as a scientist, he was one of only five nineteenth century non-royal
personages from the United Kingdom to be honoured by a state funeral (19 April 1882)
and was buried in Westminster Abbey, close to John Herschel and Isaac Newton.
