Theory That Shook The World Essay Research

Theory That Shook The World Essay, Research Paper

Theory That Shook The WorldOther than Mendellson and his studies with genetics,Darwin has by far contributed the most to our modern science.From his theories on variation of species to his explanation ofnatural selection Charles Darwin has shocked the world by provingthe world older than previously thought and creatures notimmutable. In this present day these theories are as commonbelief as a simple mathematical equation such as two plus twoequals four; but in the year eighteen hundred and fifty nineDarwin not only risked his reputation with these far fetchedfindings but also the risk of being excommunicated from thechurch. Previous to Darwin the thought had been that the worlditself was only a few hundred years old and that all creatureswere made by God in those seven days as they lived exactly today(Campbell p 421). Aside from past resistance, Darwin also comesunder scrutiny still today as missing fossils which are to havebeen the bridge between a two familiar species are not yet found(Hitching p 3). Whatever the reason of belief or disbelief inDarwin’s theories, he astounded the scientific world as well asthe public and was able to convince many in the presence of amisguided past belief. This fact alone makes him one of the mostimportant people of science ever. Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury-Shropshire,England on Feb 12, 1809 (GEA & RBi p 42). He was the fifth childin a wealthy English family with a history of scientificachievement with his paternal grandfather Erasmus Darwin who wasa physician and a savant in the eighteenth century (GEA & RBi p42). As a young boy Darwin already showed signs of his love fornature. When he was not reading about nature and its quirks hewas out in the forest looking for wild game , fish, and insects(Campbell p 424). His father, although noting his son’s interestin nature, felt that all the discoveries of the natural branch ofscience had been accomplished so he sent his son to medicalschool at Edinburgh instead (Bowler p 62). While Darwin wasthere, he could not keep his mind on his medical studies anddecided to go and study at the University of Cambridge and becomea clergyman. It was here that he was to meet two people whowould change his future forever; Adams Sedgwick and John StevensHenslow. Out of these two, Henslow turned into his second fatherand taught him to be meticulous in his observations of naturalphenomena (GEA & RBi p 42). Upon graduating in 1831, Henslowsuggested that he go on the Beagle as an unpaid naturalist on thescientific expedition (GEA & RBi p 43). Darwin gladly tookHenslow’s advice and set out on his voyage to South America toanalyze and collect data that would later back up hisevolutionary theories (Campbell p 424). Even as Darwin collected his data pertaining to whatwould become his theory on natural selection, many pre-existingviews still had a hold on the scientific world as well as thepublic. The earliest recorded were those of Plato and Aristotle.Plato (427-347 BC) believed in two worlds; an illusionary whichwas perceived only through our senses and a real world which wasideal and eternal (Campbell p 422). Aristotle (384-322 BC), onthe other hand, believed in a “scala naturae” in which each beinghas its own rung on a ladder which was permanent (Campbell p422). Also, there were the present religious views that had tobe dealt with as well as the ancient ideals. At that time manybelieved that animals and plants did not evolve because they weremade holy and immutable by God on those seven days (GEA & RBi p43). A person who was widely respected and also took somebeliefs from Aristotle and present religion was Carolus Linnaeus(1707-1778). He believed species immutable and later becameknown as the father of modern taxonomy (Campbell p 422). Perhapsthe largest barrier Darwin had was to convince the present dayscientists of his findings in contrast to their pre-existingtheories. The most common of the time was the catatropisttheory. The definition of this theory was that “a violent andsudden change in the earth” had destroyed all creatures and eachtime this happened, God would come back down and recreate all thelife in a seperate seven days (Webster p 131). This theory initself seemed created for the soul purpose of covering up thereason for fossils existing and misled thought of the speciesbeing immutable (Campbell p 423). After Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle, he had begun todevelop his own theory of evolution. His personal definition ofevolution was “in biology, the complex of processes by whichliving organisms originated on earth and have been diversifiedand modified through sustained changes in form and function” (JWVp 20). In regards to his research he had not only foundevolution in the wild but in the domesticated sphere as well.Darwin held that all related organisms descended from a commonancestor and he found examples easily in common life (GEA & RBi p43). One of these such examples were the domesticated pigeon.Darwin studied the skeletal and the live forms of the pigeons hehad found. In doing so, he found them all to be related but for

a small change in their phenotype. Phenotype being defined asfollows “the actual appearance of an organism” (GEA & RBi-2 p77). This small difference had been procured through the use ofbreeding and mutation. Perhaps the most notable would be thenumber of feathers in the fantail which ranged from twel