Charles Darwin

Jean Baptiste Lamarck

1809-1882

1744-1829

Charles Darwin was a British scientist, his theory of evolution by natural selection explained where all the diverse kinds of living things originated from and how they had adapted to their respective environments. The animals or plants best suited to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce, they then pass on the characteristics that enabled them to survive on to their offspring. Gradually over time the species then begins to change. He published his thoughts on evolution with compelling evidence in his 1859 book The origin of species. Jean Baptiste Lamarck was a French naturalist, unlike Darwin, Lamarck believed that living things evolved in a continuously upward direction, from dead matter, through simple to more complex forms, toward human "perfection." Species didn't die out in extinctions, Lamarck claimed. Instead, they changed into other species. Since simple organisms exist alongside complex "advanced" animals today, Lamarck thought they must be continually created by spontaneous generation. For example Lamarck thought that giraffes developed their elongated necks and front legs by generations of browsing on high tree leaves. The exercise of stretching up to the leaves altered the neck and legs, and their offspring inherited these acquired characteristics. According to Darwin's theory, giraffes that happened to have slightly longer necks and limbs would have a better chance of securing food and thus be able to have more offspring -- the "select" who survive.

The initial reaction to Charles Darwins work on evolution was that many people refused to accept it. Over 90 newspapers and periodicals reviewed his work. Most like the Christian Observer and the Rambler were hostile. Opposition stemmed from the direct challenge of natural selection to the truth of the creation story and miracles. People were frightened that evolution removed the need for a greater purpose in life, and for morality. They claimed that God would not allow mindless sacrifice and suffering. Not all reactions were hostile; many newspapers claimed that The Origins publication marked a new era of scientific discovery. In 1860 seven English scholars acclaimed natural selection and attacked religion in Essays and Reviews. This caused a great uproar; 11,000 Anglican clergymen signed a declaration stating that the Bible and its miracles must be taken literally. Overtime as people have become more educated Darwins theory of evolution by natural selection has become more widely accepted, but there are still those who oppose the idea. I am pretty undecided on evolution, whilst Darwin had evidence to prove his theory he hadnt proven his theory in humans. I find it hard to imagine that all humans descended from apes, I understand that we have adapted to our environment but I find it hard to believe we are a complete different species than we were millions of years ago.