How Humans Responded to the Original Theory of Natural Selection

On February 12, 1809, Charles Robert Darwin was born, but his theory of evolution by natural selection wasn’t born until 1859 when he published The Origin of Species (Desmond). Darwin built and refined his theory throughout 1837-39 while exploring the world on the HMS Beagle. The HMS Beagle was the ship that Darwin voyaged the globe in order to complete his research which led to his publication of The Origin of Species. Not long after publication, there was some debate over its legitimacy and this debate is still ongoing to this day.

As stated by Avise, “Darwin’s clear elucidation of natural selection launched a revolutionary new paradigm in biology”. Regardless of what some believed there is no refuting that the release of Darwin’s theory of evolution shook the ground.

Delving deeper into his research, one can see that throughout the scientist’s journey around the world, he only spent 1 ½ years aboard the HMS Beagle throughout the 5-year voyage (Desmond). Darwin spent most of his time on land exploring a variety of species in a variety of destinations and environments.

His theory had to do with the idea that natural selection, or the phrase that was born from it, “the survival of the fittest”, claimed that the superior traits in a certain species would drive out inferior traits in said species in competition over limited resources. These circumstances result in survival and reproduction for those with superior traits and mutations. This leaves those with inferior traits to die out and cease to reproduce the traits/mutations at hand.

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As stated in Darwin, Evolution, and Natural Selection published by Khan Academy, “Because resources are limited in nature, organisms with heritable traits that favor survival and reproduction will tend to leave more offspring than their peers, causing the traits to increase in frequency over generations.” Simply translated that individuals with less strength, less agility, less speed, less accuracy, etc. would not survive and if they were to reproduce, neither would their offspring.

From the moment of publication to this day there has always been controversy with Darwin’s theory; most of which have to do with religion. The American Museum of Natural History made the statement, “As Darwin himself anticipated, some people have held to the conviction that species are the result of special creation through the action of a Creator”. There were no surprised faces upon receiving criticism from the religious community. Today there are still individuals and communities that reject Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection because it contradicts many beliefs rooted in a multitude of religions. Such as certain Christian churches for example. John Staver from Purdue University proposed that “From an early age, many young people in the United States absorb negative views about evolution. Turning this situation around requires talking about more than science; it requires talking about religion” (Olson, Labov) Staver is proposing that opposed to playing the devil’s advocate for what we are taught at home and in church, to incorporate ideals, lessons, and beliefs from evolution and religion; this was we are reaching a more inclusive audience and receiving a more positive and open-minded feedback from other audiences.

There will always be those who take research as well as evidence from Darwin’s The Origin of Species and continue to translate this into an ideology that is false and unethical. In this case, we find ourselves upon Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism is a clear-cut example of how certain individuals reacted to the initial theory of natural selection. There are a multitude of examples of when Social Darwinism was an excuse made to justify murder, sterilization, and even mass genocide. A well-known example of this is the Holocaust, when Jews, gays, the disabled, or any individual considered to be unfit, or as mentioned earlier, inferior were targeted (Social Darwinism in Nazi Germany). Social Darwinism as defined by Kahn Academy in “Social Darwinism in the Gilded Age” is “a term [that] scholars use to describe the practice of misapplying the biological evolutionary language of Charles Darwin to politics, the economy, and society.” To clarify, the “practice of misapplying” is evident in the doings of the Nazi Party at the time the Holocaust took place. Social Darwinism has been used as a defense for rejecting the less fortunate since the term was coined.

Kahn Academy also wrote, “Social Darwinian language like this extended into theories of race and racism, eugenics, the claimed national superiority of one people over another, and immigration law.” This is still applicable to this day, you can see this with the Presidential Administration in place. There is a clear opinion coming from the White House against immigration reform. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in present day America is not in place to protect this nation from foreign threats. That may have been the initial purpose behind it, but ICE today is corrupt beyond repair. This is apparent when you look at how the federally funded organization operates. In recent years the corruption has only risen. “In New York state, the Immigrant Defense Project says ICE agents have increasingly made arrests in courthouses, used ruses such as posing as police officers, and used excessive force while enforcing immigration law,” is stated in the News article, “Numbers Show ICE is Using Tougher Tactic in Ney York Under Trump”. The effects of Social Darwinism bleed into today’s culture; the idea that there is a superior race that deserves less rights, less support, less citizenship than any other person.

Throughout history there have been many reactions to Darwin’s evolution by natural selection. Some welcome the theory with open arms as it gives explanation to why so many things are the way they are. Others find it to contradict their own beliefs and reject the theory saying it goes against religion. Then we have extreme reactions, where you can find Social Darwinism today that has persisted since publication if not worsened or just taken up a different form. Needless to say, Darwin’s theory of evolution made people emote one way or another.

References

1. “Chapter 5: Broadening the Target Audience .” Thinking Evolutionarily Evolution Education across the Life Sciences: Summary of a Convocation, by Steve Olson and Jay Brian. Labov, National Academies Press, 2012, pp. 39–42.
2. Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882. On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. London :John Murray, 1859. Print.
3. “Darwin, Evolution, & Natural Selection.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/her/evolution-and-natural-selection/a/darwin-evolution-natural-selection.
4. Desmond, Adrian J. “Charles Darwin.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 8 Feb. 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Darwin.
5. “Numbers Show ICE Is Using Tougher Tactics under Trump, Says Report.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/numbers-show-ice-using-tougher-tactics-new-york-under-trump-n893671.
6. “Part I: NATURAL SELECTION, OR ADAPTATION TO NATURE.” In the Light of Evolution, Volume III: Two Centuries of Darwin: by John C. Avise, National Press, 2009, pp. 1–4.
7. “Social Darwinism in the Gilded Age.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/the-gilded-age/gilded-age/a/social-darwinism-in-the-gilded-age.
8. “Social Darwinism in Nazi Germany.” HistoryHit, www.historyhit.com/social-darwinism-in-nazi-germany/.
9. “Social Responses | AMNH.” AMNH, www.amnh.org/exhibitions/darwin/evolution-today/social-responses.