Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection explains the
general laws by which any given species transforms into other varieties
and species. Darwin extends the application of his theory to the
entire hierarchy of classification and states that all forms of life have
descended from one incredibly remote ancestor. The process of natural
selection entails the divergence of character of specific varieties and the
subsequent classification of once-related living forms as distinct entities
on one or many levels of classification. The process occurs as a species
varies slightly over the course of numerous generations. Through
inheritance, natural selection preserves each variation that proves
advantageous to that species in its present circumstances of living,
which include its interaction with closely related species in the “struggle
for existence” (Darwin 62). Darwin states that this struggle need not be
competitive in nature and also entails a species’ efficiency at producing
offspring. Natural selection works not as an active entity that seeks and
exterminates species that are not suited for their environment; instead,
it retains variations that heighten a species’ ability to dominate in the
struggle for existence and discards those that are detrimental or useless
to that species.
Stephen J. Gould explains the case of r-selection in which a
species’ chances of survival are most reliant on its ability to reproduce
rapidly and not on its structure being ideally suited for its environment.
Gould’s example shows the beneficial results of perceiving natural
selection not as something that changes a species in accordance with its
environment but as something that preserves characteristics beneficial
in the s...
... middle of paper ...
...that occurs is only that which allows for a species
to adapt to its present circumstances. As the examples given here
illustrate, natural selection may take on many forms and give a species
better defensive, offensive, or reproductive measures in the struggle
for existence, which, though it sounds dramatic and urgent, is nothing
more than being able to effectively cope with the external world and
reproduce.
Works Cited
Darwin, Charles. The Origin of Species. Cambridge, Massachusetts and
London, England: Harvard University Press, 1964.
Gould, Stephen J. “Of Bamboos, Cicadas, and the Economy of Adam
Smith.” Ever Since Darwin. New York, New York and London,
England: W.W. Norton & Company, 1977.
—. “Organic Wisdom, or Why Should a Fly Eat Its Mother from
Inside.” Ever Since Darwin. New York, New York and London,
England: W.W. Norton & Company, 1977.
The more unpleasant aspects of Achilles' character are brought home to us shortly after we first encounter him in The Iliad, when he quarrels with Agamemnon over the possession of a concubine. Before the assembled Greek leaders, Achilles complains that he never gets his fair share of the prizes, that the Achaians do not give him sufficient honor, and that he is weary of fighting the Trojans, "since to me they have done nothing" (Lattimore, 1967:63). When Agamemnon decides to teach him a lesson and take his concubine Briseis from him, Achilles has a fit of temper and warns all the Greeks that they will be sorry they did not cater to his whims: "And then y...
1. The way in which the process of learning is the result of Natural Selection is by the way we learn on how to live our life and to survive to be able to make offspring. Our book says that “those of their offspring that share their parents ' advantage will also tend to survive and reproduce” (Chance,2014). There is also the example in the book of Gregor Mendel in which he did the experiement with the peas and with natural selection he was able to have a garden full of peas. And last there is the experiment of the birds with different shapes of beak Charles Darwin said that "it is very remarkable that a nearly perfect gradation of structure in this one group can be traced in the form of the beak, from one exceeding in dimensions that of the
Darwin has two theories on the key principles of theory of evolution. One is the natural selection, a species that attains characteristics that are adapted to their environments (Darwin, Charles). The other one is survival of the fittest, which is when an individual best adapts to their environment survive to reproduce, and their genes are passed to later generat...
Gerdes, Louise I., ed. At Issue: Legalizing Drugs. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc. 2001. Print.
London, William. "Will Legalizing Drugs Benefit Public Health?--Yes." Priorities Volume 7 Number 2. 1995. (Online)
The question "was Achilles' anger justified" brings up issues that seem to have little or no relevance to the war. In time of war I would expect the leaders to prioritize the groups interest for the sake of unity and cooperation rather than being entrenched in achieving their own personal goals. But my expectations are those of a modern day literature student, I'm inclined to think that the Greeks who first read this epic valued different things than myself. Another relevant question might be "were Achilles' actions justified". Anger can be easily justified, but the actions that anger might lead you to take are not as easily justified. Again I am not an ancient Greek and my opinions are irrelevant unless I open my mind to different viewpoints. Therefore I am striving to look into this issue through ancient Greek eyes where the principle of sacrificing ones own interests was apparently not valued, but maintaining ones honor, on the other hand, was greatly valued. In the following paragraphs I will attempt to answer these two aforementioned questions.
Achilles, the greatest of the Greek warriors, is portrayed as a hero in some ways but, on the other hand, performs some controversial acts in the Iliad. Throughout the entire Trojan war, Achilles spent most of his time pouting in his tent after Agamemnon kidnapped his prized maiden, Chryseis.
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.
Anthropology is the study of humans through the ages. It aims to understand different cultures and practices that have existed from the origins of mankind as well. It differs from sociology in that it takes into account humans and cultures that no longer exist.
In Homer’s The Iliad, Achilles is often referred to as a very courageous Greek hero but a further look into the epic will reveal a man that is more arrogant than courageous. It was truly his arrogance that made his name famous and not his courage. Achilles was a narcissistic, self-serving man who was not concerned with his fellow country man. His actions of courage can easily be revealed as selfishness instead of what most people believe.
According to Darwin and his theory on evolution, organisms are presented with nature’s challenge of environmental change. Those that possess the characteristics of adapting to such challenges are successful in leaving their genes behind and ensuring that their lineage will continue. It is natural selection, where nature can perform tiny to mass sporadic experiments on its organisms, and the results can be interesting from extinction to significant changes within a species.
Many scientists in the past, such as Aristotle and Plato, believed that there were no changes in populations; however, other scientists, such as Darwin and Wallace, arose and argued that species inherit heritable traits from common ancestors and environmental forces drives out certain heritable traits that makes the species better suited to survive or be more “fit” for that environment. Therefore, species do change over a period of time and they were able to support their theory by showing that evolution does occur. There were four basic mechanisms of evolution in their theory: mutation, migration, genetic drift, and natural selection. Natural selection is the gradual process by which heritable traits that makes it more likely for an organism to survive and successfully reproduce increases, whereas there is a decline in those who do have those beneficial heritable traits (Natural Selection). For example, there is a decrease in rain which causes a drought in the finches’ environment. The seeds in the finches’ environment would not be soft enough for the smaller and weaker beak finches to break; therefore, they cannot compete with the larger and stronger beak finches for food. The larger and stronger beak finches has a heritable trait that helps them survive and reproduce better than others for that particular environment which makes them categorized under natural selection (Freeman, 2002).
Millions of people die each year, all over the world because of hunger and disease, many of whom are children (Global issues, 2010). Millions of other people suffer because of hunger, many of whom are in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. However, there are several thousand tones of food that is wasted every year. This occurs when people through away food, during harvest, during storage and when crop is destroyed by pests, insects, diseases and animals. Food wastage in the poor countries is due to lack of technology and infrastructure and result to as much as quarter of harvest getting lost (Global issues, 2010). According to Global issues (2010), world hunger results from poverty. World hunger is an issue of concern and continuous efforts should be made in order to save millions of people around the world. Solving the real cause of poverty is crucial towards permanently solving the world hunger problem.
Progress Being Made Food security is a fundamental human right. Although still far from being generally accepted, significant progress is being made. Community and nongovernmental organizations are implementing successful programs against hunger. A number of governments have adopted national policies ...