DARWIN THEORY - SCI & TECH
News: Darwin
must stay in Indian school textbooks
What's in the news?
● In
2018, the then Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Satyapal Singh,
called Darwin’s theory of evolution “scientifically wrong” and asked that it be
removed from Indian school and college curricula.
Charles Darwin:
● Charles
Robert Darwin, an English scientist, geologist, and biologist who lived from 12
February 1809 to 19 April 1882, is well recognized for his contributions to
evolutionary biology.
● Due
to his involvement in the development of the idea of evolution, Darwin is
referred to as the “father of
evolution.”
● Darwin’s
theory is based on the fossils he collected and the wildlife he observed on his
five-year trip (1831-36) on the HMS Beagle, a fact that is routinely taught.
● Influence of Principle of
geology: Something that is not taught, however, is
that right before Darwin set out on his journey, the captain of the ship handed
him a copy of geologist Charles Lyell’s Principles of Geology.
Charles Darwin's famous theories:
Theory of Evolution:
● The
Darwin theory of evolution or more commonly known as the theory of natural
selection was the theory proposed by Charles Darwin in the book he wrote called
“On the Origin of Species”.
● Sometimes,
the theory of natural selection is also known as the survival of the fittest.
● According
to the theory, some organisms contain
traits and characteristics that are more suitable to the surrounding environment.
● Charles
Darwin stated that these organisms were the ones to live longer and hence were
able to reproduce to pass these desirable traits to their offspring.
Theory of Natural Selection:
● Influence of Malthus's
idea of competition: Darwin was greatly
influenced, as he has acknowledged in his autobiography by Malthus’ ideas of
competition in an environment with limited resources.
● Thus, only those living
beings survive that carry variations that give them an edge over others - a
phenomenon that Darwin termed “natural selection”.
● Definition:
Natural selection was the term Darwin used to describe the evolutionary process by which favourable or advantageous
traits and characteristics are preserved and unfavourable or
disadvantageous ones discarded.
Social Darwinism:
● Herbert
Spencer’s idea of “survival of the fittest”, proposed in 1864, coalesced
eventually into a philosophy called “social Darwinism”, which is well known to
have fuelled eugenics in the late 19th century.
● Darwin
In his later book, "The Descent of
Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex", Darwin claimed that men have
evolved to be naturally more intelligent since they have had to continuously
use their “mental faculties” to hunt for food, and to defend “their females”
and offspring.
Importance of Charles Darwin's theories:
● Understand human beings
origins: Darwin’s theory of evolution is one of
the most firmly established theories in science that explains the origin of
human beings and all other forms of life in the world.
● Enhancing scientific literacy:
Understanding Darwin’s theory of evolution is crucial for enhancing scientific
literacy, as it is an essential component of biology and a cornerstone of
modern science.