The Importance of Darwin's contributions Is that it gave a scientific explanation to the evolution of human beings and other animals and the existence of the diversity of living beings on the planet.
Charles Robert Darwin , Was an English naturalist and scientist of great influence in his time who proposed the idea of biological evolution through what he called the"natural selection".
These postulates were exhibited in the year 1859 in his most famous work" The origin of species "Made up of conclusions that came after numerous observations of nature and explains the theory of evolution by natural selection.
Darwin believed that all life on earth (biodiversity) descends and evolves from a common ancestor. In addition, each of the species are composed of individuals that vary slightly from one another (variability) with respect to their many traits.
The natural tendency of species is to increase in number over generations, however factors such as disease, predation, the principle of population, limited resources, create a struggle for survival among members of the same species.
All this struggle contributes to the generation, through the generations and in a gradual way, of slight variations in certain individuals of a population.
These variations will give them a small advantage, for example: variations that allow a more efficient or better access to resources, greater resistance to diseases, greater success in avoiding predation, etc.
The process in which individuals of the same species best adapted to their environment will tend to survive better and leave more offspring was what Darwin called"Natural Selection."
The contributions of Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin's contributions to science were numerous and varied. These include:
• Environment is a contributing factor to the natural selection mechanism.
• The populations (set of individuals of the same species) are made up of individuals with different characteristics.
• Only those that best adapt to their respective environments survive.
• Different characteristics within the same species originate at random.
• The most beneficial characteristics are transmitted and preserved from generation to generation.
• Through the passage of many years, the characteristics and favorable variations for the species will be preserved causing a change in the species.
These changes will be gradually more marked until it results in a new species totally different from the one that gave rise to it.
Reasons why Darwin's contributions are important
1. Darwin founded a new branch of the life sciences: evolutionary biology
It was based on the argument of the variability of the species in the time (evolution), the notion of the biodiversity from a single origin of gradual form, without great interruptions or discontinuities, through a mechanism that was denominated natural selection.
2. Revolutionized the field of biology
It was the founding act of biology as a science, giving a rational, materialist and verifiable explanation to the phenomenon of the variability and origin of species.
In summary, it is a logical explanation that unifies the observations on the diversity of life (Biodiversity).
3. It currently forms the basis of modern evolutionary synthesis
This is based on the integration of evolutionary theories by Darwin's natural selection and Gregor Mendel's Genetic Theory, mutations and genetics in general.
4. The contributions of Darwin have been of great importance to understand the evolution of man
This is based on the mechanism of natural selection and the different archaeological findings.
The theory of evolution can explain in a very practical way how the human being had its origin and developed until it became the dominant species on earth.
5. Darwin's contributions introduced historicity in science
Unlike physics and chemistry, evolutionary biology is a historical science: the evolutionist attempts to explain the events and processes that have already developed in the past.
Laws and experiments are inappropriate techniques for explaining such events and processes.
Instead, a historical narrative is constructed, which is to attempt the reconstruction of the particular scenario that led to the events that one is trying to explain.
6. The new philosophy of science
The theory of evolution by natural selection gave a new impetus to materialism, to determinism and to biological reductionism, even in the field of the human being.
It gave rise to the elimination of theological in the scientific field.
7. In political theory, Hitler's National Socialism related the struggle for Darwin's existence with his postulates and beliefs
Also, with the class struggle in which Marx believed referring to"ferocious capitalism".
The difference between the individuals that Darwin poses has served to sustain the class difference as a natural.
8. Thanks to Darwinian contributions, a new branch of the philosophy of science is founded
This was called the philosophy of biology.
Even though it took a whole century before this new branch of philosophy developed fully, its final form is based on Darwin's concepts.
CONCLUSIONS
In summary, Darwin's contributions have been of great importance for world science and philosophy, which have definitely marked a milestone and reference point for diverse theories and currents of thought.
Among these currents of thought, we can mention Neodarwinism and modern Zeitgeist (the spirit of time) among others.
Darwinian thought brought with it a very practical explanation of human evolution indicating that man as it is known today has evolved from hominid primates.
All this based on a mechanism of natural selection, ensuring in time the survival of the fittest, going through various variations from generation to generation over thousands of years and different environments and ecosystems.
References
- Darwinism. (2015) Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Recovered from plato.stanford.edu
- "Charles Darwin"Famous Scientists. (2015) Retrieved from famousscientists.org
- Charles Darwin (s.f.) At Wikipedia. Retrieved on July 7, 2017 from en.wikipedia.org
- Horacio Manrique Tisnés (2011) Electronic journals in Psychology (PEPSIC) retrieved from pepsic.bvsalud.org
- Ernst Mayr (2009) EVOLUTION Darwin's Influence on Modern Thought. Scientific American. Retrieved from scientificamerican.com
- What is biodiversity? (S.f.) Biodiversity. Recovered from Biodiversity.gob.mx.