Charles Darwins Ideas - Essay Example

     Darwin Charles Darwin’s ideas have had an effect on a wide scope of areas, for example, science, economic, and political thinking. Natural selection is formed on the basis of an extremely uncomplicated idea that a number of features are essential for existence than other characteristics, and are going to extend in the population. The moment he developed his theory of natural selection, individuals begun attempting to utilize it to a number of human relationships. Natural selection was frequently utilized to support prejudices and notions, by incorporating a thin covering of scientific explanation (Gould 45). This paper is a discussion in favor of Charles Darwin and natural selection theory. The paper will look at the components necessary for natural selection and examples that concur with the natural selection theory. It will investigate various ideas presented by Darwin (thesis). In the theory of natural selection, only the fittest species will exist. The paper will also highlight circumstances where natural selection does not play a part in survival (counter thesis). Response Charles Darwin presumed all animals and plants had progressed from a minimal usual ancestor through the process of natural selection. Both animals and plants give rise to a number of young ones, but several of the young plants and animals are extinct before they can grow into adulthood or reach maturity. Natural selection establishes which constituents of a species exist and reproduce, and which ones become extinct prematurely (Maynard 23). This is evident in our everyday life, for instance, in a location that experiences calamities such as war or famine, only people who are able to adapt to the harsh conditions of lack of food, shelter, or diseases, are the ones who are able to continue to exist during or after the calamities. In addition, all living elements must fight for an inadequate supply of space, water, food, and other necessary things in an environment. It is factual that the individual animals and plants whose features are adequately modified to situations have an upper hand in the struggle for resources, and consequently, the survival. On average, these species have a tendency to produce a large amount of young ones in comparison to other species in their unit. Accordingly, the population of the unit having the same features as the best-adapted species augments from one generation to the next. In my view, the term fitness may be utilized to refer to an organism’s capacity to produce offspring (Gould 47). Therefore it is appropriate to refer to the theory of natural selection as survival for the fittest. There are a number of natural selection forms. They comprise sexual selection, stabilizing selection, and directional selection. Sexual selection is primarily evident among the animal species. Similar to natural selection, adults of numerous populations have a preference for mating partners who exhibit specified external features or behaviors. It may be argued that sexual selection illustrates why males of numerous bird populations contain extra colorful feathers than their female counterparts. Stabilizing selection takes place if a group is adequately adapted to its surrounding. In this situation, the populations with common features produce the most offspring, and individuals who are the most dissimilar reproduce the least number of offspring. In addition, stabilizing selection removes tremendous traits, lessening the quantity of dissimilarity in a group. This makes stabilizing selection the most widespread form of natural selection. Finally, directional selection creates new traits that assist a population to become accustomed to its surrounding (Maynard 24). This is what is mostly perceived as natural selection by numerous individuals. Moreover, for natural selection to function appropriately, a number of requirements should be met. One, the members of the population should be different in their hereditary features. Organisms in different species illustrate a number of personal variations in behavior and appearance. These differences may constitute number of offspring, size of body, voice features, facial marking, or hair color. In contrast, some features highlight minimal or no differences in species, for example, eye numbers in vertebrates (Futuyma 21). Humans, for instance, differ in approximately all areas of their physical appearance, including eye color, weight, and height. In addition, individuals differ in less-apparent components, for example, quantity of fat in the blood, thickness of bones, or size of brain. Moreover, these dissimilarities contain some genetic component. Two, a number of the genetic dissimilarities should have an effect on the possibilities for reproduction and existence. A number of characteristics are constantly transmitted from parent to young one. These characteristics are heritable, while other characters are largely influenced environmental situations. When this happens, the fittest organisms will transmit additional elements of their genes to subsequent generations of species than other organisms which are not fit. It has been evident that over a period of time, an organism builds up features that enhance its capability to exist and give rise to young ones in its surrounding. Third, natural selection depends on high rate of population growth to function adequately. Numerous species produce a large number of species every year than natural resources can sustain causing a fight for the natural resources. Therefore, every generation encounters considerable mortality. Finally, differential survival and reproduction influences natural selection. This is because species containing characteristics adequately suitable for the competition for resources will reproduce a large number of young ones to the subsequent generation than population containing frail traits (Futuyma 23). The use of the expression survival of the fittest by Charles Darwin is often misunderstood. A large number of individuals presume that the fittest are the species that are cunning, stout, smart, or gigantic. This is often not the situation. From an evolutionary point of view, the fittest species are the ones who possess a mixture of characteristics that permit them to exist and reproduce numerous offspring that consequently exist to produce offspring (Dennett 34). I support Charles Darwin’s views on natural selection because what enables members of a species to reproduce and survive is largely dependent on the surrounding at that specified moment and the mixture of characteristics that are sufficiently suitable to thrive in the species. In addition, Charles Darwin did not presume that the evolution process has an expected objective or that it goes through a determined course. Charles Darwin’s notion that evolution takes place because of natural selection presumes that fortune plays a part in the survival of a species and its offspring. It may be asserted that Charles Darwin comprehended that fortune also plays a part on whether members of a group have modifications that will permit them to reproduce and survive. If there are no existing modifications, the species is quickly wiped out because it cannot become accustomed to the varying environment. It is also apparent that evolution does not give rise to extra complicate forms of life and the final outcome the process depends on the species. For natural selection to function on a characteristic, the characteristic should contain transmissible features and should bestow a gain in the contest for resources (Maynard 67). It is obvious if the requirements are not met, then the species cannot experience natural selection. Conclusion  I agree with Charles Darwin and the theory of natural selection. Charles Darwin essentially altered the course of imminent scientific, economic, and political thinking. His theory was developed on an advancing body of knowledge that started to query pervious notions about the natural world. The central part of Charles Darwin’s idea is natural selection. This process takes place over succeeding generations and may be presumed to be the differential replica of genes (Gould 56). Natural selection needs transmissible modification in a given characteristic, reproduction, and differential endurance connected with possession of that characteristic. Moreover, cases of natural selection are properly-recorded, both through the fossil evidence and by observation. Finally, natural selection functions on the occurrence of characteristics, and may be in the form of sexual selection, stabilizing selection, and directional selection. Work Cited Dennett, D. Darwin's dangerous idea: Evolution and the meanings of life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995. Print. Futuyma, D. J. Evolution. Massachusetts: Sinauer Associates, 2005. Print. Gould, S. J. The structure of evolutionary theory. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2002. Print.  Maynard, S. J. The theory of evolution. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993. Print. Read More