Charles Darwin's Theory Of Natural Selection

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Long ago, two minds unknowingly linked in creating a revolutionary theory in science. Unfortunately, one mind was glorified, while the other overlooked. In 1858, both Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace's versions on the theory of evolution and process of natural selection were read to the members of the Linnaean Society (McKie. 2013).
To begin, Charles Darwin is a name almost anyone may recognize, especially within the science community. Born in England in 1809, Darwin came from a large family with a long lineage of renowned scientists. He was fairly privileged, coming from a family of great wealth and achievements. Later in 1831, through attending a University, Darwin gained the opportunity to be a ship's-HMS Beagle-naturalist, embarking on …show more content…

In 1858, Wallace approached Darwin with an identical theory, which sparked Darwin into action, inclining him to officially publish his theories. Wallace, opposed to Darwin, came from a less privileged family, "his education was curtailed by the family's worsening financial situation." Luckily, Wallace's home was a "rich source of books, maps, and gardening activities," which supported his interests and gardened his learning (Camerini. 2015). Soon after working as a teacher, Wallace became acquainted with a mentor that taught him valuable skills in collecting specimen. He began a travelling on his own journey, "both in the Amazon basin between 1848 and 1852 and across the Malay Archipelago (now Malaysia and Indonesia) from 1854 to 1862" ("Alfred Russel Wallace." 2015). After his journey, he published The Malay Archipelago, a thorough chronicle on his massive scientific assessments, especially concerning the specimens he brought …show more content…

2015). Wallace and Darwin came to know each other through their aligning ideas on the nature of evolution, becoming colleagues and mentors to one another. Unfortunately, when the Linnean Society received both their theories, the final decision "was reached without Wallace's knowledge" (Camerini. 2015).
The first published piece displaying Darwin and Wallace's theories was titled, "On the Tendency of Species to Form Varieties; and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection." Around that time, Darwin had been working on his own book, On the Origin of Species, after publishing, his fame sparked, eventually being named the 'Father of Evolution.' While, Wallace continued refining his own ideas about evolution (Kuhn.

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