Evolution and Darwinism

A detailed Summary of Evolution and Darwinism

In The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin poetically entailed, "There is grandeur in this view of life . . .." Personifying Nature as the ultimate breeder, Darwin infers and hypothesizes what is arguably the most fundamental and profound scientific manifesto that governs what we now know about modern science and the science of discovering our past. His two theories of Natural Selection and Sexual Selection effectively bridge the gap that his predecessors could not. These concepts are imperative as their implications paved the way for Darwin's explanation of Evolution.

The term "Survival of the Fittest" has been made synonymous with Darwinian ideology, yet to fully understand this idea we need to know what it truly means to be "fit." As discussed in class, being fit does not necessarily imply fitness on a physical or mental level. Rather, the principle entails how well-suited one is for its environment or a readiness for a species to adapt, whether to a new habitat or possibly changes in food, shelter, climate, etc.

Through small, almost unnoticable change, over large periods of time, organisms develop physiological and/or anatomical features that invariably help the organism live or live easier. It is important t

There were three major components of his theory of Evolution that he took from his predecessors and incorporated them along with his ideas and findings into a remarkable precedent in the science field. The first dealt with the issue of time, through the fossil record and looking at modern day animals he postulated that there was a development of life through time. That there was a correlation between the Megatherum and the modern-day armadillo, which led him to believe that there were changes over time to make what the modern day animal is now from its ancestors. Secondly, the Galapagos Island finches exemplified the idea of space and it also playing a role in adaptation and evolution. When Darwin examined the birds from the various islands in the Galapagos Archipelago he saw minute differences in the shape of their beaks. He thus concluded that like time, over a large space, small adaptations begin to occur to help the species out in their specific environments. Finally, he tied everything up with the unifying concept of Uniformitarianism, where large changes can be induced through the accumulation of small changes over time.

Charles Darwin's journey on the H.M.S. Beagle, as a Naturalist, allowed the geologist an opportunity to accumulate mass quantities of data and research, from which he began to understand what his counterparts were missing about the issue of Evolution. His forerunners postulated a wide assortment of valid ideas, but each had major controversies that stemmed from flaws in their individual theories. By taking bits and pieces of these sources and examining it along with his findings and own ideas he was able to effectively show the "true grandeur in this view of life. . .." A life that has been and still will be ever changing. The human race live in times where we take leaps and bounds in science and other fields and the geographical space between people decrease allowing a cross-cultural mixing pot of ideas that will "change" our world. We in turn, have to adapt and to evolve if we truly are the top of the evolutionary chain.

o note that this does not infer that the p

Some common words found in the essay are:
Mother Nature, Survival Fittest, Beagle Naturalist, Sexual Selection, Supply Demand, Industrial Revolution, Galapagos Archipelago, Descent Darwin, John Dunne, Personifying Nature, sexual selection, natural selection, view life , moths white, white gray, modern day, tall trees, fossil record, individuals species, grandeur view life, barks trees, struggle existence,

Approximate Word count = 1426
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Science