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Theory of evolution - Charles Darwin’s ideas of natural selection
Essay for Robert Charles Darwin
Biographical information on charles darwin essay
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I. Introduction
Evolution is a universal postulate to which all theories, hypotheses, and systems must follow in order to be significant and accurate. It is considered to be a light which illuminates all facts, a course which all lines of thought must follow (Dobzhansky). The man who discovered this life-changing concept was named Charles Robert Darwin. From his theories on the explanation of natural selection, to the variation of species, Darwin shook the world by proving Earth was much older than previously assumed, and the creatures that dwell on this planet have changed over the years. Charles Darwin is the most influential person in history because he created the evolutionary theory that furthered scientific research in fields of science such as biology and psychology, wrote several books on his theories that brought upon new notions of literature, and stirred up new ideas on how people viewed God's creation theory.
II. Biography
On February 12, 1809, a boy named Charles Robert Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. He was the fifth of the six children of Robert and Susannah Darwin, a doctor and potter respectively (Clark 6). His grandfathers were the innovative potter, Josiah Wedgwood, and Erasmus Darwin, a naturalist and physician (Cobb). When Charles was eight-years-old, his mother died, and he began studying at the Anglican Shrewsbury School. In June of 1825, his father pulled Darwin out of Shrewsbury School and enrolled him into the University of Edinburgh (Wyhe). Darwin was planning to study medicine at Edinburgh University, but because he was appalled by surgery, he changed to studying Divinity at Christ’s College, Cambridge University (Kreis). There, he became acquainted with Professor John Stevens Hensl...
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... Ted. "Christianity and the Darwinism Are Not Incompatible." Intelligent Design vs. Evolution. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. At Issue. Rpt. From "Intelligent Religion: Are Science and Faith Really Incompatible?" Sojourners Magazine 34 (Dec. 2005): 9. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
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Wyhe, John van. “Timeline of the life of Charles Robert Darwin.” The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. Darwin Online. 2002. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.
Zhao, Buyun. “Darwin’s Impact On Biology.” Charles Darwin & Evolution. Christ’s College, Cambridge, 2009. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
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Charles Robert Darwin was an English naturalist who was born in Shrewsbury, England on February 12, 1809. He was the second youngest of six children. Before Charles Darwin, there were many scientists throughout his family. His father, Dr. Robert Darwin, was a medical doctor, and his grandfather, Dr. Erasmus Darwin, was a well-known botanist. Darwin’s mother, Susannah Darwin, died when he was only eight years old. Darwin was a child that came from wealth and privilege and who loved to explore nature. In October 1825 at age sixteen, Darwin enrolled at Edinburgh University with his brother Erasmus. Two years later, Charles became a student at Christ’s College in Cambridge. His father wanted him to become a medical doctor, as he was, but since the sight of blood made Darwin nauseous, he refused. His father also proposed that he become a priest, but since Charles was far more interested in natural history, he had other ideas in mind (Dao, 2009)
Anyone with even a moderate background in science has heard of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution. Since the publishing of his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859, Darwin’s ideas have been debated by everyone from scientists to theologians to ordinary lay-people. Today, though there is still severe opposition, evolution is regarded as fact by most of the scientific community and Darwin’s book remains one of the most influential ever written.
Charles Darwin was born in 1809 in England, he studied medicine at Edinburgh and ministry at Cambridge. He later became interested in natural history . From 1831 to 1836 he went on a cruise around the world; this sparked an int...
Lennox, James. "Darwinism." Stanford University. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2010 Edition). , 13 Aug. 2004. Web. 12 May 2014.
Contrary to many assumptions, evolutionary theory did not begin with Charles Darwin in 1859. Actually, ideas similar to evolution had existed since the times of the Ancient Greeks. The idea of evolution teetered in and out between the time of the Greeks and Victorian England. In Darwin's time, evolution was called “descent with modification”(Thinkquest.org). During the eighteenth century, two church officials provided convincing biblical explanations for biological diversity; Separate Creation: the idea that all creatures have been created uniquely by God and organized into a hierarchy with man ranking just below God, and stating the earth is 6,000 years old (berkeley.edu./history/buffon).
The impact these men had on religious thought was tremendous. Some of them are the starting points for many of the controversies existing today. Of all the scientists, historians, and philosophers in the nineteenth century, the most influential and controversial was Charles Darwin. Born in 1809, Charles Darwin always had an interest in the nature, so he chose to study botany in college. His strengths in botany led him to become the naturalist on the H.M.S. Beagle. On a trip to South America, he and the rest of the crew visited the near by Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean. It was there he noticed many different variations of the same general plants and birdshe saw previously in South America. He also observed ancient fossils of extinct organisms that closely resembled modern organisms. By 1859, all of these observations inspired him to write down his theories. He wanted to explain how evolution had occurred through a process called natural selection. In his published work, On the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, or On the Origin of Species for short, Darwin stated that, "new species have come on the stage slowly and at successive intervals."(1) He also said, "old forms are supplanted by new and improved forms," and all organisms play a part in the "struggle for life.
Charles Darwin was a scientist from the United Kingdom who was a naturalist and geologist in the early 1800s. Although, he is best known for his role in the evolution theory. Darwin decided to take part in a five-year voyage in 1831, called the Beagle, to make naval charts of South America. At the beginning of the expedition Darwin was just a young graduate, at the age of twenty-two, with only eagerness to be able to be a part of the opportunity. He had no high expectations to find the rare discoveries that he had found during his time on land on the far off continent. By the end of the excursion, Darwin had made a name for himself as a geologist and fossil collector after his journal was published, later titled The Voyage of the Beagle. His writing got him a lot of attention from multiple scientists around the world.
Charles Darwin has had the greatest influence on the world by proving the evolution of living things. Charles Darwin had first noticed the similarities of plants and animals when he took a five-year cruise on the H.M.S. Beagle, which was available to him through a friend from school. During the cruise Charles Darwin started becoming interested with the similarities between the plants and animals that were similar on different islands with similar climates, so he decided to study them more closely.
Darwin, Charles. From The Origin of Species. New York: P.F. Collier and Son Corporation, 1937. 71-86; 497-506.
Desmond, A. & Moore, J. Darwin: The Life of a Tormented Evolutionist. W.W. Norton & Company. New York. 1994
Klin, Candyce. “Darwinism as A Cultural Issue” Cedar Crest College, 2 June 2001. Web. 17
Charles Darwin, the English naturalist and geologist is attributed and accredited for his theory of evolution. His theory of evolution is based on the premise that strong heritable traits help individuals to survive in adverse and inimical environments.