Charles Darwin – where he was right and wrong

Religion, spirituality and health: a social scientific approach, 2017

The chapter traces the development of Charles Darwin's ideas about the concept of organic evolution, discusses the reasons why he delayed publishing his ideas for many years, and describes the major elements of the theories of evolution presented in his 1859 book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. The influence of his grandfather's ideas about evolution is also discussed, as well as the common themes found in Charles Darwin's Origin of Species and the writings of Erasmus Darwin (his grandfather), the Comte de Buffon, and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. These similarities include their emphasis on the similarities between the breeding of domesticated plants and animals (which Charles Darwin called Artificial Selection) and the natural processes underlying the evolution of wild plants and animals (which Charles Darwin called Natural Selection). The chapter discusses key elements of Darwin's theories of evolution, including that: (1) animals reproduce at a rate that exceeds their food resources, (2) which creates competition for resources, (3) that members of a species vary in terms of their inherited characteristics, (4) that some inherited characteristics enhance survival and reproduction, (5) that such adaptive characteristics are inherited by offspring, (6) which leads to the spread of these adaptive characteristics within the population, such that (7) successive generations of the descendants of members of the original species may become sufficiently different from their ancestors that they become a different kind of animal over time through the accumulation of adaptive characteristics. Keywords Adaptation • Common ancestor • Darwin • Evolution • Natural Selection • Origin of Species 5.1 Development of Darwin's Ideas Charles Darwin was born into an affluent English family in 1809 [1, 2], the same year Lamarck published his book about evolution, Philosophie Zoologique [3]. In 1825, Charles went to Edinburgh University, where his older brother Robert was studying medicine, to try his hand at medicine too. While there, he did coursework in geology and zoology and became interested in Natural History, especially invertebrate sea animals, which he studied throughout the rest of his life. Abandoning the

F1000Prime Reports, 2015

Darwin is the father of evolutionary theory because he identified evolutionary patterns and, with Natural Selection, he ascertained the exquisitely ecological ultimate processes that lead to evolution. The proximate processes of evolution he proposed, however, predated the discovery of genetics, the backbone of modern evolutionary theory. The later discovery of the laws of inheritance by Mendel and the rediscovery of Mendel in the early 20th century led to two reforms of Darwinism: Neo-Darwinism and the Modern Synthesis (and subsequent refinements). If Darwin's evolutionary thought required much refinement, his ecological insight is still very modern. In the first edition of The Origin of Species, Darwin did not use either the word "evolution" or the word "ecology". "Ecology" was not coined until after the publication of the Origin. Evolution, for him, was the origin of varieties, then species, which he referred to as well-marked varieties, whereas, instead of using ecology, he used "the economy of nature". The Origin contains a high proportion of currently accepted ecological principles. Darwin labelled himself a naturalist. His discipline (natural history) was a blend of ecology and evolution in which he investigated both the patterns and the processes that determine the organization of life. Reductionist approaches, however, often keep the two disciplines separated from each other, undermining a full understanding of natural phenomena that might be favored by blending ecology and evolution through the development of a modern Theory of Natural History based on Darwin's vision of the study of life.

In 1868 in England, Charles Darwin proposed his pangenesis theory to describe the units of inheritance between parents and offspring and the processes by which those units control development in offspring. Darwin coined the concept of gemmules, which he said referred to hypothesized minute particles of inheritance thrown off by all cells of the body. The theory suggested that an organism's environment could modify the gemmules in any parts of the body, and that these modified gemmules would congregate in the reproductive organs of parents to be passed on to their offspring. Darwin's theory of pangenesis gradually lost popularity in the 1890s when biologists increasingly abandoned the theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics (IAC), on which the pangenesis theory partially relied. Around the turn of the twentieth century, biologists replaced the theory of pangenesis with germ plasm theory and then with chromosomal theories of inheritance, and they replaced the concept of gemmules with that of genes .

In 1868 in England, Charles Darwin proposed his pangenesis theory to describe the units of inheritance between parents and offspring and the processes by which those units control development in offspring. Darwin coined the concept of gemmules, which he said referred to hypothesized minute particles of inheritance thrown off by all cells of the body. The theory suggested that an organism's environment could modify the gemmules in any parts of the body, and that these modified gemmules would congregate in the reproductive organs of parents to be passed on to their offspring. Darwin's theory of pangenesis gradually lost popularity in the 1890s when biologists increasingly abandoned the theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics (IAC), on which the pangenesis theory partially relied. Around the turn of the twentieth century, biologists replaced the theory of pangenesis with germ plasm theory and then with chromosomal theories of inheritance, and they replaced the concept of gemmules with that of genes.

The General Science Journal, 2022

This article examines the main methodological elements of Darwin's theory of natural selection, introduced and exhaustively documented in his major evolutionary publication: The Origin of Species. The philosophy of science in Darwin's time is briefly analyzed, especially the philosophy of science of Herschel and Whewell, Darwin's two contemporaries. In addition to reviewing Darwin's scientific education and interest in the natural sciences (the geology and biology of his time), the influence of the philosophy of science on the preparation, development and presentation of the Origin of Species is discussed. And naturally the hypothetico-deductive argumentative plot that supports his theory of natural selection, constructed according to the canons of Newtonian science, although far from the formal rigor of the Principia, which is still common in contemporary naturalistic publications, given the extreme complexity of biological systems.

2009

He had travelled most of the major coastlines of the globe. For five years at a stretch. He had surveyed the flora and fauna of the islands, coastal waterfronts, and the nearby peninsula. He had also studied the marine reefs, landmass, rocks, soil and climatic characteristics. He had collected crates of specimens from the entire area under survey. And in the process there were two metamorphoses in his life – one academic and the other ideological. He had started the journey across the Atlantic in 1831 with a view to making a secure career in geology; but when he came back to the shores of England in 1836 he had already embarked on the path to become a biologist – and a foremost biologist of the nineteenth century. Second, he had boarded the ship HMS Beagle as a devout Christian; and five years later, when he set foot on the banks of the Thames, he had turned into an agnostic. Yes, you have rightly guessed that we are talking of Charles Robert Darwin. Since last year we are observing...

Many studies have shown that students' understanding of evolution is low and some sort of historical approach would be necessary in order to allow students to understand the theory of evolution. It is common to present Mendelian genetics to high school students prior to Biological Evolution, having in mind historical and epistemological assumptions regarding connections between the works of Gregor Mendel and Charles Darwin. It is often said that Darwin 'lacked' a theory of heredity and, therefore, he had not been able to produce the synthetic theory of evolution himself. Thus, schools could provide a prior basis for heredity, so that students could begin to study evolution with a proper background in genetics. We intend to review some research on the history of biology, attempting to show that, even if Darwin had had notice of Mendel's works – which we think he did – he would not have changed his views on heredity. We examine this belief and its possible origins, offer some considerations about Darwin's views on heredity, including his knowledge of the 3:1 ratio, the consequences for the work on Nature of Science (NOS), and finally give five reasons to consider alternative possibilities for curriculum development.

2000

Reports of the National Center For Science Education, 2013

The theory of evolution put forth by Charles Darwin in 1859 and the modifications given to it by endless contributions by biologists over the last century and a half is the best explanation for the diversity of life on earth. Darwin's "one long argument"-as he called it-also changed the way we think about aspects of our lives beyond biology: society, culture, economics, religion, politics, the list could go on. So, when someone considers Darwin, are they referring to the man (Charles Darwin, 1809-1882), his ideas (much more than just evolution), his influence (his name took on a lineage of its own), or his legacy (his life and work remain highly debated today)? It is a topic with a grand scope of material to digest. One could spend a life time reading books and articles written about Darwin and evolution, yet in the busy and quick access world of today, there is value in small, concise collections of material for the non-specialist to peruse and become acquainted with a topic. Barton Bite-Sized Darwiniana RNCSE 33.6, 2.2 November-December 2013 Bite-Sized Darwiniana RNCSE 33.6, 2.3 November-December 2013 Bite-Sized Darwiniana RNCSE 33.6, 2.4

American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 1992