Edited by Gerald Boerner
Commentary:
Revolutionaries have many things in common. Not only do they “see” things in new ways. Lincoln did it with his vision of a truly United States and Equality for all men and women. Darwin did it with his view of how the different species of fauna are related to each other. Furthermore, both of these men were born on the same day, February 12th. They both lived to apply their vision of the world to their respective environments — Lincoln to the political map and the laws that enabled equality of both states and individuals while Darwin did it by recording his observations on the voyage of the HMS Beagle that set sail this day.
Science in the mid-1800s was based on naturalistic observation and recording. This was enabled when Charles Darwin set sail on the HMS Beagle on a five year journey of discovery. He observed nature at every stop and fastidiously recorded these observations in his journal. During the voyage, he started to see patterns among his observations. Patterns like this suggested relationships between animal species and their environments not explained by the prevalent “Creation” explanation of the relationships among animal species promoted by the church.
Instead, it suggested the operation of a principle that he termed “Natural Selection.” This principle was supported by his observations, especially on the various Galápagos Islands, that indicated that animals had adapted to the particular needs of that particular microenvironment. Therefore, he concluded that those members of the species that adapted were able to survive, the “Survival of the Fittest.” Upon his return, he spent a good thirty years developing his Theory of Evolution before it was published in his famous The Origin of the Species.
So let’s get going on our exploration of this journey and Darwin’s development of his ideas in a hostile cultural environment of mid-19th century England… GLB
These Introductory Comments are copyrighted:
Copyright©2011 — Gerald Boerner — All Rights Reserved[ 4137 Words ]
Quotations Related to Charles Darwin:
“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”
— Charles Darwin
“A scientific man ought to have no wishes, no affections – a mere heart of stone.”
— Charles Darwin
“I am turned into a sort of machine for observing facts and grinding out conclusions.”
— Charles Darwin