Sunday, December 14, 2008

Darwin Revelation

Throughout the semester we have discussed the many theories of Darwin and his thoughts on the human race. We have taken these ideas and applied them to our everyday lives and how they compare to what we have to come to know based on research that has been done over the years. We have learned that Darwin's thoughts were revolutionary and the first of that kind.
One specific theory Darwin developed was Natural Selection in which he believed the strongest survive and the weak don't and that is how nature naturally selected what species would survive. Darwin believed those who survived and adapted to changes were the ones that were meant to live and if they didn't it meant they were meant to die off. Darwin states, "The key is man's power of accumulative selection: nature gives successive variations; man adds them up in certain directions useful to him. In this sense he may be said to make for himself useful breeds (Appleman, 104). His theory is based on the idea of the adjustments to changes specific to different species. It is about those species being able to adapt to the changes nature has made and evolve based on their adaptation. Those who are unable to adapt to these changes are not meant to continue on.
I felt this theory developed by Darwin is not only interesting but also important because it relates to our past as well as our future as a society. Natural selection has been occurring since the beginning of time. The species we currently have on earth today are, according to Darwin's theory, meant to be here and were the strongest of their time. We can look back and see how many different species were on the earth thousands of years ago and if natural selection is in fact the case then there is a reason some of them are no longer here and it was meant for them to become extinct. Darwin explains, "Every slight modification, which in the course of ages chanced to arise, and which in any way favoured the individuals of any of the species, by better adapting them to their altered conditions, would tend to be preserved; and natural selection would thus have free scope for the work of improvement" (Appleman, 112). He is stating that natural selection works in such a way that if a species is able to adapt to the naturally occurring changes in their living conditions they are strong enough to survive.
Our environment and society has been dealing with a lot of changes lately, some being man-made but never the less inevitable. A lot of our concern relates to the problem of global warming and what is going to happen because of it. This makes me think back to Darwin and especially this theory of Natural Selection. It opens up a lot of questions in my mind and has made me realize that this could be happening to the human race. If global warming is going to affect us so much, what changes will occur when it gets to be too much. Right now such small changes are happening on the planet and if something is not done about it, I wonder what will become of humans and our world. Will the strongest people out of the entire human race be the only ones to survive, or will we all have to adapt in such a way that we are no longer humans and a different breed completely? The Natural Academy of Sciences explains Darwin's theory, "Drought diminishes supplies of easily cracked nuts but permits the survival of plants that produce larger, tougher nuts" (Appleman, 292). I feel this relates to the future of the human race by opening the question will global warming just change certain aspects about humans? I wonder if we will become extinct all together because our race is not strong enough to survive.
Darwin's ideas have brought up a lot of controversy but to some it is a realization and an explanation as to what is happening in the world. I have been taught Darwin's theories in the past but only a basic level. After going into such detail about Darwin's theories it has definitely opened my mind a lot more to what is going on in the world. It has made me realize I need to pay closer attention to what is happening and what could happen. Natural selection has caught my attention and has made me think a lot about where we come from and how the human race has survived for so long, as well as making me wonder if the same will happen in the future.



I chose this video because it is a stimulation of natural selection and evolution. I felt it was a great way to show how natural selection works and it gives detailed information but is basic enough for everyone to understand. A lot of what is talked about in "Darwin" is hard to understand based on the language used and how scientific the explanations are. This video breaks down the information and uses a computer to stimulate the process giving you a great visual.

works cited

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCXzcPNsqGA&feature=related

Appleman, Philip, ed. Darwin. New York: Norton & Company, 2001. 111-15.


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