Charles Darwin and The Origin of Species

In 1859, a book was published that caused a great deal of debate, controversy and in some cases outrage; so eloquently and passionately written was this book that it remains a topic of discussion even today. This book, originally given a much longer title, is what we know today as "The Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin. Over the years, this book has been misinterpreted, misquoted, and mostly misunderstood. This paper will attempt to accurately summarize Darwin's work, correct some of the myths about the book, and conclude with an objective critique of the book itself.

A Summary of The Origin of Species

Charles Darwin, in writing "The Origin of Species", attempted to bring some logic into the exploration of the origins of all forms of life on this planet; while religious theories about the creation of the Earth and everything in it had existed quite literally for thousands of years, as of the 19th century, there was still an acute need for someone to put together a volume that would try to comprehensively compile the theories and scientific fact that was in existence into a coherent work, which was Darwin's objective according to many who have in the subsequent years analyzed this book.

Simply put, The Origin of Species focuses on the topic of natural selection. While this term has been misused and misquoted in the years since Darwin's publication, a better understanding of what he meant by natural selection within the context of his book is in order. When Darwin used the term natural selection, what he meant was that there is the distinct possibility that all living things on the planet came to be as the result of naturally occurring phenomena, a biological sequence of events if you will, that created these living things (Darwin, ed. 1996). Once these "creatures", humans among them, are initially created, each species of living thing, be it plant, animal, or human, are perfected through the trials of nature, whereby those who are the weakest will in time die off, leaving only the best of the species behind to reproduce offspring that inherit those "best traits" from the previous generation. Darwin shows in his book that this is the most desirable state for nature to function in, evidenced by those who combine the best samples of plants to create superior strains of plants, animals which represent the best of their kind being bred to generate top quality offspring, and even the cases when people of the best upbringing, intelligence, and good looks are encouraged to produce children that are superior to others who were born of ordinary parents, perhaps without much consideration of the genetic combination of the mother and father, which would emerge in the child.

As the book progresses, the reader will inevitably begin to ask themselves the question that if all species eventually become the best that they can be in terms of beauty, strength, adaptability and the like, how are differences in species explained, such as people with different skin tones, animals of the same breed with different types of fur, and related plants that have different types of leaves or flowers? Darwin explains this through geographic distribution, which basically means that species, even if the same, will have subtle differences depending upon where on the globe they exist. Indirectly, it can be fairly said that this theory reinforces Darwin's premise that species change as needed in order to become superior and survive; in this case, climate challenges, availability of food and so forth force species to adjust to what is available to reach their full potential.

Another important set of points to discuss when presenting a summary of Darwin's theories as presented in The Origins of Species are his viewpoints on the existence of God, his ideas concerning evolution, and his explanations of things which were at that time unexplainable. Referring to the existence of God, Darwin did not, contrary to popular belief, deny the existence of God in The Origin of Species. What he did say in the book is that he believed that God did in fact exist, but that the planet and all of its life forms are not managed to the smallest detail by God, but rather that life is spread about the land by God much like a farmer spreads seeds, and that He allows these creations to function in their best possible ways. This also reinforces Darwin's core belief of natural selection and all that it entails. While this admittedly does not follow the Bible exactly, it does not present the Atheistic view that many people have unfairly attached to Darwin over the years.

Evolution has come to be called the centerpiece of Darwin's book, but in fact, the term evolution only appears in the book a few times, and is not the main focus; it would be more correct to say that Darwin acknowledges the possibility of some types of evolution as shown in his natural selection ideas, but he does not make the connection between apes and humans, as so many people have said that he did.

Lastly, Darwin does not attempt to make quick guesses about the things which he does not understand or cannot explain. True, he does put forth theories that were revolutionary and controversial in his time, but when something cannot be explained adequately, he does not attempt to fabricate any material to explain the unexplainable.

Ultimately, what Darwin seeks to do in The Origin of Species is try to present valid scientific theory (given of course the knowledge of science in his time) to explain the nature of all forms of life, what causes these forms of life to grow and change, and supplement all of this with his own ideas about the origins of living things. Having summarized Darwin's book in detail, a balanced critique of the book is useful as well, in the hopes that a better understanding will be gained.

A Critique of The Origin of Species

In fairness, Darwin's writing has its share of aspects which are to be praised as well as panned. Having presented in the summary of the book itself that some ideas and quotes have been falsely attached to Darwin over the years, it is possible at this point to be able to fairly give opinion as to what was favorable, and unfavorable, about The Origin of Species.

To Darwin's credit, in The Origin of Species, he makes an honest attempt to explain exactly how life came to be on this planet, how and why life changes on the planet as it does, and why some specimens of the same species can have some subtle differences and still be related to one another. Even in the 21st century, given the advances in scientific study and research that have come about, Darwin's belief in survival of the fittest still applies and makes sense. This is something that was an outstanding feature of the book, in that a logical framework was put forth to try to offer a rational explanation for what was to that point unexplained in many circles. He backed up these ideas by showing that all species seek to become the best and strongest through natural means, which guarantees the longevity of their kind. It was also very positive that Darwin acknowledged the possibility of divine intervention in the creation of life upon the Earth, albeit not to the extent that many believe it to be.

Conversely, there are also some aspects of Darwin's work that are less than desirable; one glaring flaw in the book is that while he states that life may have come from certain sources, he does not make a valid explanation for the gaps of thousands of years in the development of the Earth when no evidence of the development of new life can be found. In addition, research shows that there are gaps in the creation of Darwin's work itself, leading to the question of whether or not he doubted himself. There is the distinct possibility that Darwin's ideas were not something that he himself subscribed to totally; therefore, one must look at his work with a certain level of caution and skepticism.

Conclusion

Charles Darwin, in some respects, remains an enigma to this day- even after scholarly research of his words, and presentations of what he meant by those words, there is still a tendency for some groups to twist Darwin's words for their own belief systems. Whatever the case, however, and whether or not one supports Darwin, one inescapable fact can be taken from his work- the fact that some things cannot be explained by the conventional methods of deductive reasoning; with this in mind, the importance of the ongoing quest for knowledge, in closing, is undeniable and eternal.

References

Darwin, C. (1996). The Origin of Species (G. B., Ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.