On the Origin of Species - 1846 Words

In his On the Origin of Species, written in 1859, Charles Darwin clearly explained the gradual progression toward the speciation of organisms with his five main principles: variation, inheritance, competition, selection, and propagation. Darwin hesitated to publish his findings because he understood that his findings were based on the animal kingdom and on an evolutionary process that had to have spanned millennia. He specifically did not think that his discoveries were applicable to the evolution of human society. Contrary to Darwin’s preference, Herbert Spencer did exactly what Darwin hoped to avoid by publishing numerous works supporting his own, new thesis of â€Å"Social Darwinism,† which claimed that Darwin’s principles of evolution†¦show more content†¦He lived off of his family’s wealth and instead of working, he devoted himself wholly to his studies. In 1896, he published his most comprehensive work, The Synthetic Philosophy, a work encom passing many of his theories on society, evolution, morality, and psychology. Spencer died December 8, 1903 while working on his autobiography, which was then published in 1904. Through his anti-clerical and rejectionist upbringing, Spencer was raised to attach to a theory like Darwinian evolution. In his first published article on the development of Social Darwinism, entitled The Development Hypothesis, 1852, Spencer established his lack of faith and claimed that creationism was a â€Å"theory† which is â€Å"supported by no facts at all.† He further elaborated on the issue and asserted that there must be another mode by which the world was created. He even went as far as to write that, if he were to interrogate any leading geologist or physiologists they would â€Å"be forced to confess that the notion was put into his mind in childhood as part of a story which he now thinks is absurd.† Spencer believed that creationism was not a viable medium on which to bas e scientific thought, and as a result, he was forced to find another way to explain the creation of the world. For this reason, he was drawn to evolutionary Darwinism. Spencer however, could not just accept Darwinian evolution as fact. Rather, he expanded the theory of Darwinian evolution to meet his ownShow MoreRelatedThe Origin of Species1246 Words   |  5 Pagescould potentially debase society’s understanding of what was fact was published and it summarized a theory that humans have slowly evolved from a primitive form, commonly called the Theory of Evolution.(Kennedy Pg.572) The book titled On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life was written by an English naturalist and geologist, Charles Darwin, and it overcame the scientific rejection that earlier similar theories had facedRead MoreThe Origin Of The Primate Species1880 Words   |  8 PagesThesis Statement: One of the most fiercely debated issues in paleoanthropology points at the origins the primate species. The top two continents that have been very evident in our origins that can be traced to Africa and (Eur)Asia. African origin stresses the multiregional continuity theory it suggests a single origin for modern humans and gives an explanation to the Out-of-Africa model for the patter of our human evolution. The Multiregional Continuity Model states that after Homo erectus left AfricaRead MoreOn The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin915 Words   |  4 PagesHuman evolution has been of interest to people for quite some time. Even though in the publication of On The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin in 1859 human evolution was not specifically mentioned, only that light will be thrown on the origin of man and his history, Darwin did argue for the evolution of new species from older ones (1). Since then, interest in evolution, and especially human evolution, has been growing. An example of one of the first debates about human evolution is the debateRead MoreThe Origin Of Species By Charles Darwin1689 Words   |  7 Pagesmain book where we get out information about evolution is in Origin of Species’ by Charles Darwin. In his book, Darwin introduced the concept of evolution by natural selection. Natural selection is the process in which the organisms which are better suited for their environment. According to Darwin, there are four major points to natural selection. The first point is overproduction, indicating that more offspring survive, meaning the species would survive longer. Then, there s genetic variation. TheRead MoreOn the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin1148 Words   |  5 PagesOn November 24th, 1859, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life by Charles Darwin (renamed On the Origin of Species 13 years later) was published in London, England. In it, Charles Darwin specified his observations and gave his insight on what he thought caused evolution. He called it natural selection. Before this, nearly everyone believed that a single God created every living organism that none of them had changedRead MoreThe Origin Of Species By Charles Darwin868 Words   |  4 PagesPersonify-attributing human character to something inanimate Polymorphic-different forms or types in organisms of the same species. Potent-something of great power or influence. Vigorous-healthy or strong. Volition-choosing or making a decision. B) 1. The text was written by Charles Darwin, who is renowned for his theory of evolution. Besides his book The Origin of Species, he also wrote Voyage of the Beagle and The Descent of Man to name a few. Credence should be given to Charles Darwin for hisRead MoreThe Origins Of Species By Charles Darwin983 Words   |  4 PagesAfter Charles Darwin published the Origins of Species, society began to turn away from religion and towards science to justify slavery and segregation by seeking out physiological and psychological differences between Blacks and Whites (Parks Heard, 2009). Physiologically, some Whites argued that black people were the missing link between apes and humans. Psychologically, others like Frances Galton proposed his theory of eminence, or the notion that certain abilities, many of them psychologicalRead MoreThe Origin Of Species By Charles Darwin898 Words   |  4 Pagesfamous works, and one of his most controversial works as well, was his book titled On the Origin o f Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. Darwin wrote the Origin of Species after an almost five-year voyage aboard the H.M.S. Beagle. While aboard the beagle, Darwin was presented with many facts that appeared to â€Å"shed some light on the origin of species†. Darwin has contributed in many ways to the world of science, specifically the historyRead MoreThe Origin Of Diversity Within Species1361 Words   |  6 Pagesevolution of different species can be known through comparing how closely their genes and body structures were. The more similar those characteristics are, the more closely related those species is. However there is a wide range of diversity between every single species and between every single individual. Diversification allows organisms to occupy different niches in the ecosystem. In this essay, the origin of diversity within species, the origin of diversity between the species, the significance of Read MoreEssay on The Origins Of Our Species1945 Words   |  8 Pagesfits into the ideas of human origin formulated by Frederick Engels more than 100 years ago. quot;There is a grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.quot; (Charles Darwin, The Origin of the Species, pp. 459-60, Penguin 1985.)