One hundred and fifty years, exactly yesterday, since the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species and I finish off the final words to peer, literally awestruck, at the breadth of Darwin’s thesis: there really are no words to sufficiently define the extent to which this work captures the utter power of nature. There are many things you can say about Darwin’s argument, not least that it was controversial, but I don’t think that the controversy really explores the vision within the story he unwinds. And I do mean this; above all else this book is to my mind a story: one that encapsulates the entire planet, her life forms, and their coexistence together. I read around the work to ensure I understood the period in which the book was written (being a ludicrously involved history buff, this was straight-forward) which I would highly recommend, as it gives a comprehensive context. Many sciences were still newly burgeoning fields during this period, including biology, however, the understanding in the physical sciences was high – so much so that many believed Darwin’s ultimate theory was a century or so later than it should have been. I’m not converted to this view, I think that this theory is novel in every way imaginable; indeed, its consistent opposition (slight, but there) over the past 150 years is representative of its ingenuity.
Nothing displays this view more than the difficulties society today has with the fact of evolution. In the year 2009 there have been three books released showcasing the argument for evolution (timed for the anniversary) which is so broad that it would actually take some serious effort to oppose the reality. One of these books (the only one I have read) is very thorough and easily digestible, Richard Dawkin’s The Greatest Show on Earth. Though Darwin’s work is rightly construed as the firing salvo, his theory is an explanation for evolution, explaining how it works via natural selection. Having read through Origin it feels as though Darwin’s main endeavour is deliver an opposing theory to the commonly understood origin of life from that period: namely, independent creation. This is of course part of its controversy – but it is clear when reading that Darwin is far more involved in dismissing the idea of independent creation than he is exposing faith. Independent creation is more or less the view that all individual entities (human or otherwise) were created in the current form we see in this age: i.e. they could not have evolved. Darwin’s fundamental argument against this is evolution, which he shows is controlled by natural selection, but also pretty much proves that all animals could not have been created in the form they currently hold, and must have originated from broadly a single life form (he argues five or six life forms, but today it is known to be one).
His proof that independent creation is not possible is absolute. Evolution, by its nature of occurrence over millennia, is impossible to prove to the same degree. Having shown that independent creation was not possible, Darwin proposes the argument for evolution as an alternative and to the best level that he could, explains how it occurs through natural selection. At its most basic natural selection is the selection (by nature) of dominant characteristics in any grouping of animals which best enable that group to survive. As each selection is made to the group the improvement it makes is carried down through their line and thus the animals evolve. This is of course over many many years. The genius, as with every theory, is how well this argument fits into place – in this case in the natural world. Darwin spends some time showing how his theory works; which is the story of life I mentioned earlier. All in all it’s a fabulous piece of work, and is rightly construed as one of the most important books of all time. I’ve always enjoyed the popular phrase of Darwin’s theory, which if you Google draws only one winner: the single greatest idea ever.
One hundred and fifty years, exactly yesterday, since the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species and I finish off the final words to peer, literally awestruck, at the breadth of Darwin’s thesis: there really are no words to sufficiently define the extent to which this work captures the utter power of nature. There are many things you can say about Darwin’s argument, not least that it was controversial, but I don’t think that the controversy really explores the vision within the story he unwinds. And I do mean this; above all else this book is to my mind a story: one that encapsulates the entire planet, her life forms, and their coexistence together. I read around the work to ensure I understood the period in which the book was written (being a ludicrously involved history buff, this was straight-forward) which I would highly recommend, as it gives a comprehensive context. Many sciences were still newly burgeoning fields during this period, including biology, however, the understanding in the physical sciences was high – so much so that many believed Darwin’s ultimate theory was a century or so later than it should have been. I’m not converted to this view, I think that this theory is novel in every way imaginable; indeed, its consistent opposition (slight, but there) over the past 150 years is representative of its ingenuity. (continue reading…)
