Charles Darwin and His Theory Essay Example

Charles Robert Darwin was born in England on February 12th, 1809. As a young boy, his father; a medical doctor, noted his fascination with nature. It was his father's wish that he became a doctor but Darwin's interest was in natural history. Charles Darwin pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree at Christ's College where he was mentored by his botany professor. After his graduation, Darwin was among the naturalists aboard the HMS Beagle ship which voyaged around the world. It was during this December 27, 1831 trip that he broadened his view of natural history. Darwin collected an array of natural birds, fossils, and plants specimen to be used later for his studies (Muehlbauer 58). He made first-hand observations and performed experiments to discover botanical, zoological, and geological principles. In 1836, Darwin compiled his findings from the voyage in The Journal of Researches which was later edited as Zoology of the Voyage of the Beagle. Darwin developed a theory about the origin of living beings; commonly known as the theory of natural selection which will be discussed in this paper.

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Darwin's observations and experiences on the Beagle, and most importantly those that he made on the Galapagos Island, formed the basis for his development of the theory of evolution through natural selection. During the voyage, Darwin noted some patterns in the distribution of organisms in the islands in Galapagos. Although the finches living there were of similar species, they were not identical. Notably, each island was characterized by a different environment. Darwin later realized that the finch species in a specific island was well suited for that environment as well as its (finch's) role. For instance, the finches that primarily fed on large grains had large, tough beaks. These differed from the insect-eating finches which had thin, sharp beaks. Darwin proposed that organisms changed over time due to the metamorphosis of heritable physical and behavioral traits. In his text; The Origin of Species, Darwin indicates that all forms of life have a common descent and that they change over time through the process of natural selection (Muehlbauer 55). These finches had different characteristics and this is explained by natural selection which is defined as "a process that adapts organisms to their environment" (Muehlbauer 55). The organisms that can survive in a particular environment are naturally selected. The inferior members of a particular species die out to leave the superior ones. Consequently, a particular functional advantage is preserved and that species are able to compete with the rest of its kind in a certain environment.

An organism's survival depends on its ability to adapt to its environment. According to Darwin, organisms are functionally organized (Ayala 8569). The parts of an organism are adapted to perform a particular function. The hands of a human being, for example, are meant for grasping since they are designed for that purpose. Darwin formulated the ideas if human adaptation during his Beagle expedition. Naturally, the human population is capable of growing to extents that cannot be supported by the environment. As such, the population competes for natural resources such as food for survival. Muehlbauer documents that according to Darwin, the 'organisms that win out in the "struggle" are those with variations that give them an advantage in survival" 60). It follows that an organism must have heritable traits for it to not only survive but also adapt to its environment.

Artificial selection and natural selection are responsible for the change in a population of species over time; simply defined as evolution. Environmental and some biological factors can influence a species' evolutionary path. One such path is the divergent evolution where one species interbreed naturally or artificially and it starts to branch off to become different species. The evolution of two different species results in lesser similarities between the two. Eventually, more diverse species exist in the biosphere due to the divergent evolution. According to Mayr, organic beings originated from a single stock and they later diverged in character as they underwent modification (343). Divergent evolution may be necessitated by the need for an organism to survive in a changing environment; otherwise, circumstances such as climate change and natural disasters cause this type of evolution.

Modern evolutionary synthesis largely bases its arguments and conclusions from the study of genetics. These employ quantitative research methods where data is collected and analyzed using mathematical models. For instance, Gregor Mendel commonly referred to as 'the father of modern genetics' conducted controlled cross-breeding experiments (Muehlbauer 61). His was a quantitative approach and he was able to analyze verifiable data. Darwin, on the other hand, was not only lacking in the knowledge of genetics but also lacked any numerical data worth analyzing. His was to study a pattern and draw conclusions based on his observations. As such, it is difficult to falsify his hypotheses without numerical data. This limitation may have contributed to the backlash that his postulations received from various quarters; including the church.

Neo-Darwinism marked the discovery of how genes encode various behavioral and biological traits. Accordingly, it is at the gene and DNA levels that behavioral changes and natural selection occur. As such, mutations are results of random errors in DNA repairs or replications, radiation or chemical damage. In most cases, mutations are harmful or neutral. However, rare instances exist when mutations are beneficial to an organism. In this scenario, the organism survives through generations and it spreads throughout the population. It is evident that Darwin's postulates were not starkly dissimilar to those of Neo-Darwinism especially on the point of natural selection and evolution. The results of harmful mutations were, to Darwin, a case of evolution through natural selection. The organisms with desirable characteristics can survive in a certain environment.

Conclusion

Conclusively, I have my reservations especially regarding the credibility of his observations. Evidently, his lack of an understanding of genetics and the procedures for conducting an evidence-based research may compel one to doubt his theories. For these reasons, I largely dispute Darwin's theory of evolution. Notably, these misgivings can be excused bearing in mind that at that time technology was incomparable to that of the modern day. Also, it is possible that he was ill-equipped on the knowledge on sampling techniques given his background as a natural scientist. Consequently, he was not keen on employing credible research methodologies unlike the scientists of the Neo-Darwinism era. However, I acknowledge the fact that Darwin's amateurish findings paved the way for modern-day research. He inspired the curiosity of Neo-Darwinism scientists who embarked on the study of genes and DNA. These modern-day scientists continue to probe the origin of living organisms in addition to predicting the future. It is possible that future scientists will also dispute that which is considered to be accurate in this day.

Works Cited

Ayala, Francisco J. "Darwin's greatest discovery: design without designer." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104.suppl 1 (2007): 8567-8573.

Mayr, Ernst. "Darwin's principle of divergence." Journal of the History of Biology 25.3 (1992): 343-359.

Muehlbauer, Esther. Plato to Darwin to Dna: A Brief History. S.l.: KENDALL HUNT, 2016. Print.