Paper Example on Darwin and the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection

Introduction

The origin of life is one of the most commonly contested topics in science ever since the age of enlightenment. It is no secret that human beings have always questioned the origin of their existence since time immemorial. The mystery surrounding this phenomenon has led to the rise of all types of beliefs and theories that aim to make sense of it all. The Christian or rather religious theory of creation is one such example that has enjoyed massive acceptance among the populations of the world. Philosophers all through history have also been struggling to explain this mystery, to varied success in the mass adoption of the proposed theories. One such prominent theory is Darwin's theory of evolution, which is more based on scientific processes as opposed to mere beliefs, and which has gained widespread support in the field of biology. This theory has however been met with various criticisms as well based on the presentation of evidence to prove its hypothesis (Science, 2019). This formed the basis of the study as we discuss the theory in more depth below.

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Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is one of the most substantiated among the other theories of evolution. This theory emphasizes the changes of or the growth of new species from the modification of the old species that have come prior and died off. In this aspect, Darwin theorized that as the old species died off, the superior qualities from these species were inherited by the new species, allowing them to survive longer and adapt better to their environment. This occurred as a result of competition for limited resources among the populations of the individual species in their original niches. As such, those species that were not strong enough to compete died off to pave way for the more superior species ("Darwin, evolution, & natural selection", 2019).

The Darwinian Theory has been widely debated, with some scientists casting doubts on its validity. However, there exists several proven research that in one way or the other validates the phenomena of trait selection among species and the growth of different species from the old ones. One area in which Darwin presented as evidence of this theory is in the origin of man. Here, he theorized that men evolved from apes, presenting the various different species of apes that have existed over time as being the main evidence. As the population increased and climatic conditions changed over time, the competition for resources increased forcing the existing species to adapt to the changes. This way, the species with weaker traits became extinct over time paving way for the modern human we know today (Darwin, 2010). Numerous other evidence exists today to support the theory.

However, despite the vast wealth of evidence supporting Darwin's natural selection theory, critics exist everywhere especially in favor of the creation theory. This is probably due to the fact that the theory is relatively new, with people having worshiped and held beliefs of higher deities from time immemorial. A wealth of evidence exists that prove the long-held beliefs in gods as far back as the modern civilization began. Moreover, with the spread of modern religions such as Christianity and Islam and their teachings, more and more people have come to doubt the validity of the Darwinian theory of natural selection (Science, 2019). Whichever the case, the debate is bound to continue on how life and especially humans came to exist as we see today.

Reference

Darwin, C. (2010). The origin of species: By means of natural selection of the preservation of favored races in the struggle for life. Kennebec Large Print.

Darwin, evolution, & natural selection. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/her/evolution-and-natural-selection/a/darwin-evolution-natural-selection

Science, L. (2019). What is Darwin's Theory of Evolution? Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/474-controversy-evolution-works.html