Charles Darwin, the greatest scientist who ever lived, was born on this day in 1809 [Darwin still spurs tributes, debates] [Happy Darwin Day!] [Darwin Day 2017]. Darwin is mostly famous for two things: (1) he described and documented the evidence for evolution and common descent and (2) he provided a plausible scientific explanation of evolution—the theory of natural selection. He put all this in a book, The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection published in 1859—a book that spurred a revolution in our understanding of the natural world.
Modern evolutionary theory has advanced well beyond Darwin's theory but he still deserves to be honored for being the first to explain evolution and promote it in a way that convinced others. Here's one passage from the introduction to Origin of Species.
Although much remains obscure, and will long remain obscure, I can entertain no doubt, after the most deliberate and dispassionate study of which I am capable, that the view which most naturalists entertain, and which I formerly entertained—namely, that each species has been independently created—is erroneous. I am fully convinced that species are not immutable; but that those belonging to what are called the same genera are lineal descendants of some other and generally extinct species, in the same manner as the acknowledged varieties of any one species are the descendants of that species. Furthermore, I am convinced that Natural Selection has been the main but not exclusive means of modification.
4 comments :
Darwin was one of the three most important scientists who have thus far live, the others being
Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein..
“Darwin was one of the three most important scientists who have thus far live, the others being
Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein.”
Agreed. But Newton was an a**hole as a person. Yet the IDists keep dragging him out as a great scientist (which he was) because he was Christian. Why don’t they also own the fact that he was a terrible human being because he was Christian. You can’t take credit for one without taking credit for the other.
Re William Spearshake
Actually it would be more accurate to describe Newton as an Arian as he rejected the Trinity and was dubious as to the divinity of Yeshua ben Yusef of Nazareth.
Darwin was greatest? I don't agree there is a greatest scientist, or even scientist!
If people intellectually do something , then it would be in creating things as opposed top figuring things out ALREADY created.
I think inventors are better 'scientists".Not newton/Einstein. not even close is dArwin as a creationist would say.
Darwin is famous for evolutionary biology.
Documenting evolution/common descent is only a hypothesis of his. its not documented but only a interpretation of data.
I don't see natural selection as plausible as in fact its trivial. its mutationism that is the origin of biology complexity/diversity according to evolutionism.
It should be tauight that its mutations that turn fish into rhinos. Selection is not the important thing for change.
Selection working on tiny changes to change populations will not do the glory.
The mutation is the mechanism mostly.
Anyways in the English speaking world evolution is rejection in whole or part by hundreds of millions. Even if accepted by the hundreds of millions of others.
It still is not persuasive and declining in our time.
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