The Orgin Of The Species By Charles Darwin (1809-1882) Essays

The Orgin of the Species by Charles Darwin (1809-1882) The Orgin of the Species by Charles Darwin (1809-1882) Type of Work: Natural history text First Published 1859 Complete Title The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection , or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life Book Historical Commentary Charles Robert Darwin, the grandson of the English scientist Erasmus Darwin, studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and prepared for the ministry at Cambridge. Following his abiding interest in natural history, however, he became a naturalist and sailed in this capacity on the H.M.S. Beagle from 1831 to 1838. The Beagle's expedition took Darwin to various Southern Pacific islands and to the coasts of South America and Australia. Returning to England, Darwin became the secretary of the Geological Society and, in 1840, published a treatise, "Zoology of the Voyage of the Beagle." At this time he met Sir Charles Lyell, who encouraged him to write about his inbreeding experiments and to expound on his theory of evolution by natural selection. Later, in 1844, Darwin received from a fellow naturalist, Alfred Wallace, notes outlining a theory - parallel to, but independent of, his own - on natural selection. Darwin carried on his research and, in 1858, published an essay delineating his own evolutionary theory along with Wallace's findings. The following year, The Origin of Species appeared. The book's first edition sold out in one day, stirring an immediate clamor of controversy. It is still recognized as one of the most disputed yet important works of biological study Darwin went on to publish The Movements and Habits of Climbing Plants (1865), The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication (1868), The Descent of Man (1871), and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871). The Origin of Species has powerfully influenced nearly every contemporary field of scientific and philosophical study: biology, literature, law, psychology, sociology, theology, and other fields of intellectual pursuit. Despite the length and weighty content of Darwin's work, the text is remarkably easy reading. Unfortunately, through all the tempest and fanfare that have followed it for almost one and a half centuries, few have actually studied its pages. Text Summary Early on in Darwin's first five-year voyage on the Beagle, he observed that, despite the distances between the remote areas he visited, the varieties of flora and fauna he found were similar in structure and function. This led him to develop his idea that species were not immutable, but were forced to adapt to their ever-changing environments. In his introduction to the first edition of The Origin of Species, Darwin noted: "I was much struck with certain facts in the distribution of the [plant and animal] inhabitants of South America, and in the geological relations of the present to the past inhabitants of that continent. These facts seemed to throw some light on the origin of the species - that mystery of mysteries, as it has been called by one of our greatest philosophers." After over twenty years of further research, Darwin published his findings. Like all scientists, Darwin built his theory upon those of his predecessors. However, scientific opinion was always and remains - somewhat divided as to what contribution the theory makes to the biological sciences. Throughout the book, Darwin openly admits to the possibility of error and the need for further investigation; he is careful to point out that the idea of evolution by natural selection is"one of long argument." To comprehend the vast amount of information contained in the work, one must examine it in its entirety. Still, this sampling of chapter headings and brief content summaries may provide some general information. Chapter II: Variation Under Nature Variations within a species are indistinguishable at first, but gradually may develop into differences that can restrict one group', range or ability to obtain food or escape predators ... Thus, "varieties tend to become converted into new and distinct species ... and throughout nature the forms of life which are now dominant tend to become still more dominant by leaving any modified and dominant descendants." Chapter III: Struggle for Existence "... When a plant or animal is placed in a new country amongst new competitors, the conditions of its life will generally be changed in an essential manner....... If its average numbers are to increase...... we should have to give it some advantage over a different set of competitors or enemies." Each organic being is striving to multiply to be vigorous, healthy, and to survive - often at the expense of members of its own species or those of a competing species. Chapter IV: Natural Selection; or the Survival of the Fittest The "fitness" of a species is modified by several different processes.