ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES SERIES

FitzRoy’s main responsibility was to survey the waters around South America and across the Pacific.

The Voyage That Changed Darwin’s Life Map of the Voyage of Charles Darwin 1831 -1836, via university of IllinoisĪfter fielding his father’s concerns and meeting favorably with Captain FitzRoy, Darwin was hired as the naturalist on board the Beagle. The next step was to find a post as a vicar.

Surprisingly, most of all to himself, he placed tenth in his graduating class. Something of a wastrel with the required theological curriculum, Darwin nevertheless managed, with intensive last-minute studying, to graduate with his degree. Henslow was an enthusiastic mentor who eventually recommended Darwin to the naturalist post on the Beagle. From Henslow, he developed crucial skills, most importantly, that of drawing conclusions from many observations. In addition, Charles became a passionate beetle collector after attending a lecture by a famous botanist, the Reverend George Henslow. Adam Sedgwick, a prominent geologist was a crucial influence. Next, he went to Cambridge in order to become a vicar. Upon witnessing surgery upon a child, necessarily at that time performed without sedation, Darwin left and would not return. Labeled Uniformitarianism, the hypothesis required vast amounts of time to form features such as mountains.Īlthough the seeds of scientific analysis were sown in Edinburgh, Darwin was literally unable to stomach completing his medical degree.

ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES SERIES

Hutton, a self-made man posited that a series of small events, over long stretches of time, created the world as it was then known. While he was there, he learned of various theories about the formation of the Earth. Most plants and animals produced far too many progeny but the consequences of the environment, such as lack of food, wars, disease, and predation, thinned the ranks.ĭarwin’s Education Charles Darwin by George Richmond, 1830s, via Wikimedia Commonsĭue to his father’s insistence, Charles attended medical school in Edinburgh. Thomas Malthus’ ideas on overpopulation, which Darwin read soon after his voyage, had also taken hold. This was wrong, but the idea of evolution based on the surrounding conditions and competition had gained a foothold in the thoughts of academicians. Lamarck suggested that an individual giraffe grew a longer neck to reach for higher leaves and bequeathed the next generation with longer necks. Lamarck posited that animals developed traits during their lifetime based on the pressures of the environment, outcompeted others in their species, and then passed the traits along to their offspring. His ideas were echoed and furthered by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. It was also commonly believed that two completely different animals could mate, thereby creating a deformed creature or a chimera.Įrasmus Darwin, a key figure in the Enlightenment, suggested that all animals evolved. “Like begets like ” needed to be spelled out because there was a widespread belief in the spontaneous birth from the earth. Please check your inbox to activate your subscription Thank you!Īfter species was defined as that which produced similar plants and animals, Carl Linnaeus began his systematic categorization in the early eighteenth century. The different breeds of dogs were fast diversifying, too, by the same process. If fatter pigs were wanted (and they usually were), or bigger corn cobs (and they usually were), the fattest pigs were bred together or corn kernels from stalks with larger corn cobs were planted. Roger Bacon in the seventeenth century noted that farmers often selected or bred the next generation of produce or livestock based on desired characteristics. It was also obvious that artificial selection among domesticated species can and did occur. Roger Bacon, by Jan Verhas, 19th century, via Wikimedia Commons The study of geology presented progressively more evidence that the timespan involved in developing the landscape was immense. Nevertheless, there were seeds of dissent. Others allowed for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands years. Many thought the Earth to be slightly less than six thousand years old as determined by Bishop Ussher in the seventeenth century. Most significantly, it required vast amounts of time and, even within the realms of scientific thought, the Earth was just not that old. Indeed, there were many problems with evolution. Regardless, in Charles’ student days, he adhered to the traditional canons of theology. Evolution was posited by a long line of intellectuals, beginning with Aristotle and including his own grandfather, Erasmus. Initially, Darwin disagreed with the concept of life evolving. Before the Origin of Species : Science in Darwin’s Youth

On the origin of species