Darwin's Theory Of Evolution example essay topic

Man, due to a force unknown to him for millions of years, rose to the very top of the organic scale. Only in the past one hundred years have men finally put aside their Biblical and mythical tales about creation, and looked to the facts in order to piece together a logical explanation for the origin of mankind. In turn, men were now able to explain the enigma of their origin without the presence of a supernatural being responsible for their creation. At the head of a slew of men trying to uncover logical reasons for mans derivation was Charles Darwin.

Darwin was the most accomplished of these men because he was able to put forth a logical conjecture that was based upon facts and observations. This theory, for a short time, was able to end the feud among educated men because many now put their trust in this new "theory of evolution". Unfortunately, this revolutionary new theory threatened the religious beliefs about creation and soon a new rivalry emerged between the creationists and evolutionists. According to Charles Darwin man began as one of a few species on this new planet striving for survival. However, man was better equipped with certain traits that allowed him to pass through the filter of natural selection.

Man was supplied with both physical and intellectual traits that were responsible for allowing him to surmount the other species living beside him. He was able to use his physical traits in order to become the greatest predator, and severely diminish the possibility of become another species prey. His physical traits were also very adaptable and so man was able to change with the environment and continue to flourish, as other species became extinct. Man was also able to use his mind to continue winning in the game of survival.

He created society, which set him apart from his animal counterparts, which had evolved from the same ancestor. It is foolish to say that man is wholly responsible for his rise because he played absolutely no role in choosing the characteristics that helped his species flourish. Man rose from his humble beginning to the summit of the organic scale more by chance than intent. He was lucky enough to have possessed the traits that were best suited to the environment and allowed them to become the ruling species.

Nevertheless, man again was set apart from the other animals because he was able to use these traits, and intensify that which separated man from animals- his mind The idea that man was in no way responsible for choosing the qualities that allowed him to survive leaves room to question who or what did choose to give man his traits. Possibly it was some sort of supernatural being or force that chose man as the best species to rule. It is most likely that Darwin thought that an omnipotent being was responsible for the creation of man. Darwin is among the school of Deists that believe that God created man and then left him alone, and allowed evolution to commence. God instilled in man's ancestor a series of traits that were beneficial at the time. With the passing of time when it became obvious that some of the chosen attributes were valuable they were retained.

However, those characteristics and bodily structures that proved no longer useful evolved over many years into those that could further mans chance for survival. If Darwin believed that the divine hand was responsible for choosing all of man's traits, then what role does free will play in the theory of evolution. Darwin again states that man was in no way responsible for the characteristics that allowed him to rise to the top of the food chain so quickly. Man's ancestor possessed these qualities, and they were then passed along to man because they proved to be beneficial in the game of survival.

Darwin felt that the traits were chosen for man, but it was the human's role to choose what to do with those attributes. Man could have remained content with the qualities given to him and live only with the intention of finding a mate and food in order to make sure that the species survived. However, man was able to use the characteristics that only he possesses to create society and culture. Man had no choice in choosing his traits, but he was able to use his intellect and free will to transcend the status of animal.

Another key role in understanding man's rise is his intellect. Firstly, Darwin claims that possibly the only trait that set man apart from the other animals on this planet is his ability to think and have emotions. Man possessed these same abilities at the beginning of the species, but over time he was able to cultivate and refine those abilities in order to further enhance his ability to survive, and to make sure that he alone would be the dominant species on this planet. Man was aboriginally given the traits that he needed to survive, but with his intellect, man was able to speed up the process of evolution.

For no longer does man need to fight in order to survive. By using his mind man was able to create medicines to cure those that otherwise would die as dictated by the theory of "survival of the fittest". Man was able to use his inborn attributes to further his standing as the dominant species. However, man might cheat the theory of "survival of the fittest", he cannot cheat evolution.

As time passes nature will provide man with adapted forms of his present-day traits so that he can better survive in the future. Man will again be able to use his "godlike intellect" and "noble qualities" to further strengthen his chances for survival. Even though man possesses many noble qualities too often he resembles his beastly counterparts, and reveals the "indelible stamp of his lowly origin". Above all, man's physical qualities are responsible for his organic success. Homo sapiens, like all other species on this planet have the ability to adapt to their environment in order to ensure survival. However, unlike other mammals, humans can survive in almost every environment on the Earth.

Therefore, this is why humans are presents in every location on the planet, whereas animals have not adapted to every kind of environment. Humans can also further their ability to adapt by using their intellect, They can make clothes and construct shelters to adjust to their surroundings, and ensure their organic success on every inch of soil. Darwin's theory of evolution greatly challenges the religious beliefs about the creation of man, because his theory claims that god did not create man with all of the traits that make him the unique species. Both Biblical and scientific creationists agree that a supernatural being specially created man in fully human form from the start. Darwin's theory threatens this belief because he states that God did not create man as he is now. Rather man evolved to his present form from the original ancestor created by God.

Also, Darwin's ideas oppose those of creationists because he states that men were not specially created but rather they evolved from a common ancestor with the other mammals roaming the planet. As well, many creationists are angered because they feel that Darwin states that man is not unique, but is jus one of a number of species that happened to have evolved differently due to the separation in geography. Darwin's theories entirely undermine all of the lessons taught by religion about the creation and uniqueness of man, and so various creationists feel the need to retaliate. As a means to combat the threat posed by evolutionism, numerous creationists began to call themselves "scientific creationists". The basis of scientific creationism is the belief that "the first human being did not evolve from animal ancestry but were specially created in fully human form from the start. Furthermore the 'spiritual' nature of man (self-image, moral consciousness, abstract reasoning, language, will, religious nature, etc.) is itself a supernaturally created entity distinct from mere biological life".

Stephen Jay Gould, states that creationism is not a "science" on the basis of philosopher Karl Popper's "Falsification Principle". The principle states that "the primary criterion of science is the falsifiability of its theories. We can never prove absolutely, but we can falsify. A set of ideas that cannot, in principle, be falsified is not science". According to Gould, creationism is not science because there are no means to falsify that which they claim is true. There is no tangible evidence of a supernatural being capable of working such miracles as the creation of the universe and man.

There are also no facts or concrete observations of a mystical force with the ability of creating humans. Also, whereas the theory of creation cannot be disproved by any means, the theory of evolution can easily be disproved because of the numerous gaps in the theory, and all of the minor disagreements among the evolutionists. Therefore the creationists use that which makes this "theory" science, the ability to falsify it, and use that to try to disprove the possibilities of evolution. The creationists can easily try to falsify the theory even with the numerous amount of evidence, but they cannot replace the theory of evolution with a theory that is as equally grounded in tangible evidence.

The "science" of creationism can only furiously try to disprove any theory that rivals that which they have been taught every week in Sunday school. But in no ways can they work to create a new theory based on scientific fact that would logically explain the origin of man, as does Darwin's theory of evolution. "I know, but I cannot imagine what potential data could lead creationists to abandon their beliefs. Unbeatable systems are dogma, not science"-Stephen Jay Gould. In essence Darwin's theories do not threaten the belief that God created the universe, because Darwin himself was a devout Christian.

His theory merely presents another view of creation. Instead of thinking that God created man in its present form, Darwin sheds light on the possibility that God created man's ancestor, and from then on evolution took over to mold and change men into their present forms. Darwin's theory is an ever expanding and changing set of ideas as seen with the addition of Stephen Jay Gould's and Niles Eldredge's theory of punctuated equilibrium. The theory makes clear man's ever growing interest in his origins, and presents the idea that man could reach astronomical heights if he makes use of all the traits given to him by the hand of God and molded to near perfection over the past years..