...What is Darwinism? To understand the impact of this matter you must first know what it is and who Darwin was. Darwinism is “the theory of the evolution of species by natural selection advanced by Charles Darwin”, according to the Oxford University Press. Charles Darwin was an English naturalist who made major contributions to the theory of evolution. Charles Darwin’s writings were very significant in the scientific world, for a more specific example, his writing of the Origin of Species. The Origin of Species sparked huge national interest and the book’s first copies sold out quicker than they appeared. Although many saw this work as a step towards improvement in understanding of evolution, it also brought with it much opposition. Darwin’s...
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...I. Darwinism A. What is it? Darwinism is a theory of biological evolution developed by Charles Darwin and others, stating that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual's ability to compete, survive, and reproduce. B. Types of Darwinism a. Social Darwinism - it is a modern name given to various theories of society that emerged in the United Kingdom, North America, and Western Europe in the 1870s, and which are claimed to have applied biological concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest to sociology and politics. Social Darwinists generally argue that the strong should see their wealth and power increase while the weak should see their wealth and power decrease. b. Neo-Darwinism - is the "modern synthesis" of Darwinian evolution through natural selection with Mendelian genetics, the latter being a set of primary tenets specifying that evolution involves the transmission of characteristics from parent to child through the mechanism of genetic transfer, rather than the "blending process" of pre-Mendelian evolutionary science. c. Neural Darwinism – is a large scale theory of brain function by Gerald Edelman, was initially published in 1978, in a book called The Mindful Brain. Edelman was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1972 for his work in immunology showing how the population of lymphocytes capable of binding to a foreign...
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...Darwin’s Influence on Discrimination Many regard Charles Darwin as the Father of Evolution, a scientific breakthrough that is considered one of the greatest accomplishments in science. Little does the general public consider the social effects that his contributions made on racism, as well as sexism, not only in his lifetime, but also for the generations following his research. His recognition in one area of study automatically made him a voice that echoed for centuries against women’s suffrage, pro-slavery, and influenced Hitler’s ideology. Apart from his genetic research and theories of evolution, Darwin was not afraid to compare the human race to that of other animals. This analogy caused a lot of the discrimination that he blatantly labeled as scientific fact. In the Descent of Man, “Darwin noted that the inheritance of special tastes and habits, general intelligence, courage, good and bad temper, and so on is evident in dogs and other domestic animals, and that the same pattern is seen in almost every human family” (Paul, 226). Darwin was not afraid to make non-scientific comparisons between the human race and other animals. Although many of Darwin’s findings are scientifically rational, and others simply deny his theories because of their religious faiths, it is difficult to ignore the consequences of his “Origins of Species” or “The Descent of Man” writings. Although Darwin wrote that all men shared a common descent, he used societal observations...
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...Darwin believed that all species had descended from a common ancestor, which down the line of natural selection had created it own modification to the species up until the point we are at today. Darwin had a brought strong case for how evolution works. Darwin has taught us a lot about evolution in him time and it is no longer appropriate to claim that evolutionary biologists believe that Darwin's theory of Natural Selection is the best theory of the mechanism of evolution. It as an easy to understand way of thinking about evolution but his theory has now been updated with the new more modern theory of evolution Neo-Darwinism and like demonstrates it add on to the original theories that Darwin first set for us. It has been widely promoted in the popular press and the image of "survival of the fittest" is too powerful and too...
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...1. Darwinism: I. What Is Darwinism? “Darwinism, when it was first put into the lexicon by Thomas Huxley in 1860, was only meant to describe the belief that species change over time. In the most basic of terms, Darwinism became synonymous with Charles Darwin's explanation of evolution and, to an extent, his description of natural selection. These ideas, first published in his arguably most famous book On the Origin of Species, were direct and have stood the test of time. So, originally, Darwinism only included the fact that species change over time due to nature selecting the most favorable adaptations within the population. These individuals with the better adaptations lived long enough to reproduce and pass those traits down to the next generation, ensuring the species' survival.” II. Different Types of Darwinism Neo-Darwinism – “Neo-Darwinism, also called the modern evolutionary synthesis, generally denotes the integration of Charles Darwin's theory ofevolution by natural selection, Gregor Mendel's theory of genetics as the basis for biological inheritance, and mathematical population genetics. Although this was not the historical meaning of the term neo-Darwinism, it has been the popular and scientific use of the expression since the synthesis of the 1930s” Social Darwinism –“Social Darwinism, term coined in the late 19th century to describe the idea that humans, like animals and plants, compete in a struggle for existence in which natural selection results in...
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...----------------2 THE RISE OF FUNDAMENTALISM -------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CHRISTIAN REACTION TO DARWINISM AND OTHER SCIENTIFIC THEORIES— THE RISE OF HIGHER CRITICISM OF THE BIBLE-------------------------------------------------- THE SOCIAL GOSPEL--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE FUNDAMENTALS------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE SCOPES TRIAL----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS----------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONCLUSION------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BIBLIOGRAPHY---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Introduction The word fundamentalism is surrounded and associated with disturbing controversy in our contemporary society. Although the term fundamentalism has become a somewhat theological dirty word, in connection with the explosive theory of evolution, espoused by Charles Darwin; and in relation to the world famous Scopes trial, the...
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...Daniel Bennett English 101-061 Mathew Turner 10/9/2014 What caused Charles Darwin to form to form the Natural Selection Hypothesis? For what reasons did Charles Darwin publish the theory that we know as Natural Selection? Was it because he already supported materialism which claims that matter is eternal, before forming this theory? Did he form this theory because he did not want to accept the ethical beliefs that were taught in the region and time period that he lived in? was it his overactive imagination that caused him to form this theory? In eighteen fifty nine Charles Darwin formed a theory that gives an explanation to the question from what or where did mankind come from. Was this theory based on fact, or was it just based on the teachings of materialism philosophers’? The ancient Greek Philosophers Democritus and Leucippus believed in an early form of materialism which they called Atomism. They believed that invisible particles which they called atoms make up everything that exists. During the time period that these Philosophers lived in there was not enough technological advances to even realistically attempt to prove their beliefs as scientific fact. The Ancient Greek Philosophers were the educated community of their time. Like some Darwinism scientists today many of these Ancient Philosophers thought that people should accept their teachings because they were highly educated. Educated people are not always right about everything. A form of materialism...
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...Selective Breeding and Genetics Darwinism and the theory of natural selection had far reaching implications for society both culturally and scientifically. For the first time in history a theory was proposed that offered a plausible mechanism for evolution. This paper examines the science behind natural selection as well as the impact Darwin has had on modern evolutionary paradigms. Specifically it poses two questions: (1) How did Darwin formulate his ideas about natural selection and evolution? And (2) Is natural selection still fundamentally valid or have we moved into a new evolutionary paradigm. Pre Darwin. Every scientific field has an earlier paradigm as scientific cannons change through the process of time. Before the advent of Darwin and his ideas about “natural selection” human evolution was perceived quite differently. During the Medieval Ages the predominate field of thought was in the “Great Chain of Being.” A structured hierarchy that believed everything had its place in a divinely inspired universe (Suber, 1997). An objects place on the “evolutionary” chain depended on the amount of “spirit” or “matter” it contained, less “spirit” and more “matter” placed it further down on the chain. Ideas such as “spontaneous generation,” which stated that organism could arrive fully formed from inorganic matter only served to enforce Christian ideals of divine inspiration and hinder any kind of true scientific research. (Evers, 1999) Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778)...
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...Charles Darwin Did you know that birds are descendants of dinosaurs? This is because of evolution, which was first put into theory by Charles Darwin. His theory, called Darwinism, evolution, or natural selection, is very important in many branches of science. Without his research, the belief that there was no change in species in all of history would still be believed. Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809. His father and grandfather were both scientists, so he was encouraged to go into the scientific field. After his education, he went on a research voyage, originally meant to be 2 years long, lasted 5 years (Encyclopaedia Britannica). The voyage was to research, zoology, botany, and geology. One of the first things that was brought...
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...Growing up, I was raised in church with my father being a pastor of a church in the community. I was taught the bible and the book of Genesis. The different beliefs that were instilled in me were to believe that God created man and woman. In evolutionary or ecology classes, we are introduced to the theory of where man came from amoeba-like organisms, or even that we evolved from apes. How did life of origin arise? The components of evolution might explain how, but Creation gives a reason to believe why. Origin of life’s existence, as well as age of the earth is a question that is looked under a microscope and probed through both biblical theories, as well as scientific. Looking at difference evidence, acceptance of creation is growing even in spite of scientists trying to prove evolution. Within this paper, there will be different pieces of evidence and facts supporting each theory and there will be an argument, within my conclusion, on which theory I support. The theory of creation can be explained through various books in the bible. Creationists use the Bible as the truth for which they believe the origin of life came into existence. In bible studies and bible school, we were taught that God took clay from the ground which he shaped to a man that he called Adam. A verse in the King James Version, of the Bible, mentions “and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Then, the Lord made...
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...Introduction: Charles Darwin's revolutionary theory has changed the way we see society, ethics and religion. It has cause multiple problems within religion. What Darwin directly challenged was the view that God had originally created all species of plant and animal life, just as they exist today. The ongoing debate about the most valid perception of the world's origins has troubled both the scientific and religious communities, causing, in many cases, intense conflicts and misconceptions. The goal of the current academic essay is to investigate the compatibility between the scientific theory of evolution and the christian beliefs about the origin of human kind. I will also research the philosophical foundations of Christianity and Darwinism...
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...Social Darwinism The social theory or ideology of Social Darwinism, which was prominent during the late 1800s, was a source of both controversy and conflict in Victorian Society and other nations, where imperialists, capitalists and colonialists manipulated Social Darwinism to justify horrific acts of genocide and cultural destruction. Upon the publication of Darwin’s revolutionary theory of evolution, The Origin of Species, uproar was caused in Victorian Society at the notion that humans were related to apes, to animals, which was unthinkable at the time largely because it contravened prevailing religious beliefs. This upheaval was the very beginning of a new age of political thinking and sociological ideas. Society was very quickly divided into those who applied Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection to society and philosophy, and those who opposed the idea, maintaining that Darwin’s theories should not be applied to Homo sapiens…us and that these theories contradicted the most fundamental of moral beliefs and principles. Hence, Social Darwinism was born in all its controversy. However, despite the controversial nature of Darwin’s theories, science and its trends were held in high esteem in Victorian England. Through this, fraudulent governments and individuals motivated by greed for wealth and power were able to justify their actions by manipulating Social Darwinism to fit their purpose, claiming that if science said so, then it must be so. However, Social Darwinism was not...
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...Abstract Social Darwinism is a political theory that emphasizes struggle and competition, and claims that human racial stock improves by allowing ruthless and unrestrained competition in the economic realm. Social Darwinism apples the concepts of biological evolution to social and moral development by stating that it is social evolution through the "survival of the fittest" in a struggle for an existence in which the strong prevail and the weak are defeated. Currently, we use the terms of Darwinism, natural selection, and evolution interchangeably and use them to describe a process which uses random variations, and mutations are preserved through a process of natural competition that favors beneficial changes. A History and Understanding of Social Darwinism The term Darwinism may cause confusion in some people because they confuse Darwinism, the scientific theory, with Social Darwinism, the ethical theory. In truth, except for the name and a few basic principles, the two ideas do not have much in common and has very little to do with Charles Darwin, the English naturalist who famously suggested the scientific theory which states that a branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process he called natural selection. Social Darwinism is a term that started near the end of the nineteenth century and describes a set of social policies and theories designed to reduce the power of government with theories that attempt to explain the biological cause of human behavior. For the...
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...One of the most intriguing topics to most is how life on Earth was created. Some people believe completely in origination from the Bible. Others believe in evolution. To go further in depth, Charles Darwin made his own theory that involves natural selection, also known as Darwinism. This is a very controversial topic, especially when it comes to what is taught in schools. People get very heated when it comes to this. Evolution is defined as the change in inherited characteristics of populations to become successful. Scientists use this as an explanation for how humans and all other species were created. It all originated from the proposal that one type of animal could descend from another type of animal. Evolution is skimmed over in schools, but is never really taught in depth, at least in my case. I can tell someone the basics of evolution, but that’s as far I can cover. According to Darwin, it is important for natural variation to take place. This allows a species to change, improve, and adjust to the ever changing climate. Without variation, all species would be like clones, never adapting and soon would die. There have to be certain traits that make another type of the same species better than the other. The species with the bad traits will get killed off and the one with the good traits will get to pass on its genes. Creationism is basically the mixture of evolution and religion. Creationists believe that everything scientists find to prove religion wrong, is just what...
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...Darwin claimed that all life had evolved into the current state over millions of years. To explain the long slow process of evolution, Darwin proposed the theory of natural selection. Natural forces selected those with physical traits best adapted to their environment. The Englishman Herbert Spencer was the first to apply “survival of the fittest” to humans and society. Spencer argued that “biological evolution had brought about human intellect, which in turn produced society. Human intellect and social activities were products of biological evolution, and all three operated on natural laws.” His thinking is very much a reflection of the English industrialism, which was dedicated to promoting competition, exploitation, and struggle in the human society. Social Darwinism became the foster for imperialistic expansion by proposing the idea that some people were more advanced than others. The Europeans believed that as the white race they were dominant and it was “natural” for them to conquer the “inferior” people as nature’s way of improving...
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