Charles Darwin And Herbert Spencer :: Natural Selection, Evolution Essays

Charles Darwin, a British inwroughtist, revolutionized biology with his opening of evolution through the process of natural selection. Herbert Spencerwas the major philosopher of biological and social evolution. Spencers worksignificantly influenced 19th century developments in biology, psychology,sociology and anthropology. While Darwin was influential in the fields ofnatural history and geology, his theory of evolution created great controversy.He changed the way people thought about the role of humans in the natural world.Although these two men made onward motion in the theory of evolution they hadcontrasting views regarding anthropological rent.Charles Darwin was an English naturalist who first solidly establishedthe theory of organic evolution, in his work, The Origin of Species. Darwin was born(p) in Shresbury, Shropshire on February 12, 1809. His grandfather, ErasmusDarwin, was a famous English scientist and poet. In 1825 the young Darwin wentto Edinburgh University to exp ire a doctor. The same year, however, hetransferred to Christs College in Cambridge in order to become a clergyman.During this time he befriended a man of science, John Steven Henslow. It wasHenslow who recommended him for the unpaid position of naturalist on the H.M.S.Beagle.Darwin set sail on December 27, 1831 to study the Pacific coast of SouthAmerica and the Pacific Islands. His other duty was to set up navigationstations in the area. He also canvas the geology and biology of these areas.Upon his return in 1839, Darwin married his cousin, Emma Wedgewood, and wasadmitted to the Royal Society. He moved to D avowe, Kent in 1842, and was plaguedby ill health until his death. He apparently transmitted Trypanosomiastis from browse bug bites in the Pacific. Darwin died on April 19, 1882 and was buriedin Westminster Abbey.In The Origin of Species, Darwin presented his idea that species evolvefrom more primitive species through the process of natural selection, whichoccurs spontaneousl y in nature. In his theory of how natural selection occurs,known as Darwinism, he pointed out that not all individuals of a species areexactly the same. But, alternatively that individuals have variations and that some ofthese variations make their bearers better adapted to particular ecologicalconditions. He pointed out that most species have more chances of surviving andproducing young than do less adapted, and that over the passage of time, areslowly weeded out. The accumulation of adaptations to a particular ecologicalsystem leads into the development of separate species, each adapted to its ownecolgoical area.In 1837, Darwin began work on the concept that evolution is essentiallybrought about by three principles. The first being variation which is present