Historical Influences on Darwin
Charles Darwin created a theory of evolution caused by natural selection to be his explanation for adaption. Alfred Russel Wallace was also a big contributor to the idea of natural selection. Darwin created his theory of natural selection in the 1830's and continued to work on it for twenty years. At this time Wallace was exploring and learning about the wildlife in South America and Asia. Wallace supported Darwin by supplying him with tools such as birds to amplify his studies. Wallace was seeking Darwin's help to then create his own theory on natural selection. Organisms with better access to resources will be more successful in their reproductive efforts, this is the bullet point that most stuck out to me in connection with Darwin and Wallace. They both studied wildlife and their life forms in such a way that they can decide that yes organisms with better access to resources will be more successful. Alfred Russel Wallace traveled to explore all wildlife. Darwin built upon the idea that wildlife and life forms in general will better resources have a stronger chance at survival. Darwin's theory caused him to have a fear of backlash from Britten's religious establishment and this was the primary reason he postponed publishing his ideas. The idea of a God who cared for his creation was challenged by Darwin’s depiction of the natural world as a savage and cruel place, “red in tooth and claw,” (Alfred Lord Tennyson). Darwin realized and continues to apologize for what he thought was a threat to the religious community. Darwin's ideals provoked a harsh response from religious leaders in Britten.
http://www.pewforum.org/2009/02/04/darwin-and-his-theory-of-evolution/
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/who-was-alfred-russel-wallace.html
http://www.pewforum.org/2009/02/04/darwin-and-his-theory-of-evolution/
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/who-was-alfred-russel-wallace.html
I wrote about Wallace as well and totally think what you wrote was spot on. Wallace was kinda like a partner to Darwin but Darwin was more of a mentor to Wallace. He learned so much from him and Darwin also learned so much from him. I think Wallace wanted a little more for his research and never got it because he became ill but it was really interesting to see what you learned about them. Nice post and good job.
ReplyDeleteHi Katelyn, you replied on mine, I'm holding a dog in my canvas photo, so are you, its destined for me to comment on your blog. Anyways, your blog was well constructed and I enjoyed reading it. I did not choose Wallace, so thanks to reading your blog and a few others, i'm gaining a little additional insight on other figures. I am glad you brought up where specifically Wallace was conducting research, and how he supported Darwin as well. I also believe you chose a really good point that supported your blog. Finally, Darwin was in fact in fear of backlash from the Church, it must have been tough for him, but after a long wait he finally published it, which for sure changed the world in regards to that science-religion border. In summary great job. In summary, Wallace was a good partner for Darwin, and supported him with all of his research, and definitely had a big role in Darwin's life.
ReplyDelete-Jack
Opening comment: My kingdom for a paragraph break! In all seriousness, recognize that these are papers and should be posted using appropriate formatting, complete with paragraphs for each subject. Posting your work as one large paragraph detracts from your work and makes it difficult to read. Make people want to read your post.
ReplyDelete"Wallace was seeking Darwin's help to then create his own theory on natural selection. "
That looks like end of your answer to the first prompt. You are on the right path here but you bury the punch line. Wallace's theory and Darwin's theory turned out to be the same theory, correct? That's an important point to understand before we move on.
I agree with your choice of bullet points, but since both Wallace and Darwin developed the same mechanism, isn't it fair to say that ALL of the bullet points also apply to Wallace?
I don't see where you address the question as to whether Darwin could have developed his theory without Wallace? To answer this, Darwin DID develop his theory without Wallace. He had been working on his idea for two decades when he became award of Wallace's theory, so Wallace's impact isn't with regard to shaping Darwin's work. Where Wallace's influence is important is as the driving factor that finally convinced Darwin to publish after delaying for more than 20 years. So while Darwin certainly developed his theory without Wallace, he may never have *published* without him.
"Darwin's theory caused him to have a fear of backlash from Britten's religious establishment "
Good... but what backlash did he fear? You don't explain this from Darwin's own personal perspective. What were Darwin's concerns? And was he only worried about himself or was he also worried about how his family might be impacted by publishing? Remember that his wife was very devout. How might she have been impacted if the church responded negatively to Darwin? Remember that scientists don't work in a vacuum. They can be influenced not just by academics but also by social, cultural and personal issues.
"Darwin's ideals provoked a harsh response from religious leaders in Britten. "
Actually, the response was a lot milder than expected, and it's been speculated that that 20 year delay in publishing resulted in Darwin's work being made public at a time when it would have been better received.