Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection

• Individuals within a species vary and these variations are inherited (at least in part) by their offspring.
• Organisms produce more offspring than can possibly survive.
• On average, offspring that vary most strongly in directions favoured by the environment will survive and reproduce. Favourable variation will therefore accumulate in populations by natural selection. Unfavourable variations will be “weeded out” by natural selection.

Darwin's theory of natural selection built on the work of many scientists before him but was revolutionary because he was the first to put it together into a coherent theory that included a mechanism for how evolution occurred (natural selection) and because his conclusions directly challenged the orthodox religious thinking of the time.^†This was because:

• Darwin argued that evolution has no purpose. Individuals "struggle" to increase the representation of their genes in future generations, and that is all.
• Darwin maintained that evolution has no direction. It does not lead inevitably to higher things or to man. Organisms become better adapted to their environments, and that is all.

References

†“Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection”, Gould, http://www.chss.iup.edu/anthropology/courses/TC110/Darwin.htm.

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an example - Darwin's Theory

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© 2006 Kumaravel & Project Team

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