There have been many ideas on the theory of evolution. Some simply take our
existence for granted, others prefer to explain all evolution in terms of the
bible and the presence of a God. However, there are those who have researched
the topic of evolution and have offered an explanation as to where a species
comes from and how they evolved in the manner that they did. This type of
science has been studied for a very long time, and one of the most famous
minds in the field of evolution was a man named Charles Darwin. Darwin was not
the first one to offer theories on evolution. There have been many scientists
who preceded him. These earlier evolutionists came up with models of evolution
that were unfortunately unworkable. One of these early pioneers was Jean-
Baptiste Lamarck. Lamarck believed in deism and advocated natural religion based
on human reason. He believed in the harmony and rationality of the world. And
although flawed, the work of Lamarck did not go unnoticed, however. Darwin also
believed in the harmony of the world, and it was Darwin himself who said that
Lamarck was the first man whose conclusions on evolution brought about
excitement and attention. He was the one who showed law in organic and inorganic
species evolution. As it turned out, the work of Lamarck was quite influential
on Darwin. Lamarck's views on inheritance of characteristics can be seen in
Darwin's accounts of natural selection. When Lamarck wrote of transmutation,
Darwin followed with his beliefs of the mutability of species. As well, Darwin
had used Lamarck's ideas on use and disuse of organs. Lamarck was not the
greatest of influences on Darwin, but he was an important one.
One of the most important arguments in Darwin's theories was the idea of natural
selection. It is generally thought that the world first heard of this idea in
the form of Lamarck's inheritance of acquired traits theory. Lamarck's work
showed that organisms improve themselves on their own. Then these new advantages
for the environment would be passed on to the species offspring on the genetic
level. This idea of self improvement detailed how, through hard work of the
organism, the path of evolution was continuous, always improving to the point of
perfection. Lamarck had said that organisms must first be faced with a different
mode of environment that would trigger some sort ...
... middle of paper ...
...use and disuse of internal structures
can be seen in the preliminary ground work of Darwin's theory of natural
selection, mutation of species and use and disuse of an organisms body parts.
Darwin had revolutionized the belief in evolution, and in doing so, he had
brought back some theories that were not all that popular when they were first
introduced. Great minds like Lamarck had influenced Darwin to show the world
where it originated, and how it progressed through the ages.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Corsi, P., "The age of Lamarck", University of California Press LTD,
Berkeley and California, 1988
2. Gould, S.J., "The Panda's Thumb", W.W. Norton and Company Inc. New York,
1980
3. Gould, S.J., "The Flamingo's Smile", W.W. Norton and Company Inc. New York,
1985
4. Mayr, E., "One Long Argument:Charles Darwin and the Genesis of Modern
Evolutionary Thought", Harvard University Press, Cambridge Massachusetts,
1991
5. Ospovat, D., "The Development of Darwin's Theory", Cambridge University
Press, New York, 1981
6. "Index of the Origin of Species" Internet, http//www.cs.brandeis.edu/~
~rllc/texttract1.html
"Charles Darwin: The Father of Evolution." Darwin1. University of Missouri, n.d. Web. 04 May 2014.
In 1846, African slave Dred Scott sued for his freedom on the grounds that he resided in the free states of Illinois and the Wisconsin/Minnesota territory to serve his owner. In 1854, Scott appealed his case to the Supreme Court, seeking to reverse the District court’s decision declaring him still a slave. In 1856, the case began, however the freedom of Dred Scott was not the only issue the court addressed, they also had to decide can blacks be citizens, the constitutionality of the Missouri Compromise, and can Congress prohibit slavery in federal territories. A year later the Supreme Court handed down its decision, “they dismissed the case of due to lack of
The Dred Scott Case had a huge impact on the United States as it is today. The Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments have called it the worst Supreme Court decision ever rendered and was later overturned. The Dred Scott Decision was a key case regarding the issue of slavery; the case started as a slave seeking his rightful freedom and mushroomed into a whole lot more. 65
Charles Darwin, the Father of Evolution, was a British scientist who laid the foundations of the theory of evolution, transforming the thinking of the entire world about the living things around us (Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882)). After working on his theory for nearly 20 years, he published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859. As soon as the book was released, the controversy began with each sides gaining followers until the climax on July 10, 1925. The idea that animals could “evolve” and change into new species, including humans, was one that challenged not only how people thought about the natural world, but challenged the story of the creation from the Bible itself. Even though Darwin himself never said that humans “evolved” from apes, everyone took it as a logical extension of his new theory. It went against the idea of argument for design that had unified theology and science for decades (Moran 5). This new threat to Christianity and the social culture of the time was one that would transform state laws on their educational curriculum.
In Conclusion, the decision handed down by The United States Supreme Court in Dred Scott v. Sanford. That African American slaves "had no rights which the white man was bound to respect; and that the negro might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery for his benefit. He was bought and sold and treated as an ordinary article of merchandise and traffic, whenever profit could be made by it." This was a grave mistake made by the Supreme Court and could only add fuel to the fire of the issue of slavery.
The ultimate ruling is often referred to as the Dred Scott Decision. The Supreme Court had ruled that although people of African American descent may be free, they are not American citizens. They also ruled that slavery could not be banned in United States territories by Congress. Lastly, because slaves were considered possessions, slave-owners were protected under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. This de...
Charles Darwin: He believed that all living species evolved over thousands of years. He wrote the Origin of the Species.
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.
Evolution in general, is a hard concept to grasp. There are multiple factors that effect the outcome a species, for example: genetics, nurture, nature, and the environment all play an important role. It was once said that species do not survive due to the fact that they are the strongest or the most intelligent, but because that species is the most responsive to change.
A proper coaching philosophy contains principles which improve character development, teach step by step tactical and technical skills, form proper progressive physical training regimens, and carefully utilize team management to handle and control problems with administrative issues. A coach with a sound philosophy should mold a team with strong cohesion, and he should treat players not only as teammates, but as family and friends who are encouraged to develop communication and lifelong learning of skills through positive support and role modeling from the coach (Mergelsberg, 14-15). The philosophy should also contain written documents of implemented strategies and techniques, so that the coach will know what to improve upon season by season
He took his ideas from what he was seeing around him at the time, not looking at other factors as to why people from these other races had not succeeded in the same way his own race had. Similar ideas were backed up in the French translation of Darwin’s The Origin of Species, as an introduction added by the translator Clemence Royer applied some of Darwin’s ideas to the different human races. Herbert Spencer, probably the most popular Social Darwinist, believed that the fight between races was inevitable and time would tell who came out on top. These race supremacy ideas were put into use by colonial Britain which showed that many ‘well educated’ and like wise people in the west believed that social evolution had made them a more advanced race.
Flaherty, J. (2011). Coaching: Evoking excellence in others (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.
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.
With the studies that Charles Darwin obtained he published his first work, “The Origin of Species.” In this book he explained how for millions of years animals, and plants have evolved to better help their existence. Darwin reasoned that these living things had gradually changed over time to help themselves. The changes that he found seemed to have been during the process of reproduction. The traits which would help them survive became a dominant trait, while the weaker traits became recessive. A good example of what Darwin was trying to explain is shown in giraffes. Long-necked giraffes could reach the food on the trees, while the short-necked giraffes couldn’t. Since long necks helped the giraffes eat, short-necked giraffes died off from hunger. Because of this long-necks became a dominant trait in giraffes. This is what Charles Darwin would later call natural selection.
Darwin challenged the traditional ways of thinking by presenting his theory of biological evolution. Prior to the discoveries of Darwin, it was believed that every creature on earth was divinely and created specifically by God. Darwin’s theory presented that all life started from a single species. Part of this species would then randomly develop characteristics that were not found in some of the other members, and the adaptations would enable the species to survive or hinder it from surviving. Over time these changes would result in many completely different species that struggled for survival. The only creature that would survive would be the one that is most adapted via the random evolutionary changes. Changing the ways of thinking about religion, Darwin refuted the traditional thinking of religion as he provided scientific evidence stating how what many had thought to be true to actually be false. Darwin had also led to a shift in the thinking of human behavior. Darwin’s theory was later applied to the human race, as many saw competition between both countries and companies. Known as Social Darwinism, it stated that only the “fittest” would be able to survive while the others would not. Leading to an imperialist point of view, it portrayed countries that were not a European power weaker, because they were not the fittes...