Evolution of Man

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. It looks at the basis of the theory and the challenges Darwin faced after its publication. The paper then focuses on whether or not the facts of evolution are true and whether this truth can be proven.

From the Paper:

"It was in the year 1859 that Charles Darwin published his book "The Origin of the Species". This was a book that literally 'shook the world'. The book detailed the theory of natural selection that had been arrived at earlier, that stated that man as a species underwent a process of selection for the purpose of reproduction, and generation after generation adapted to the changes in the environment by improving their species, and this meant that each subsequent generation would possess those features that would help them to adapt better for survival, meaning that Man was continually evolving and getting better with each successive generation, and this in essence was what was meant by the theory of Evolution of Man. (Darwin, Charles Robert: Encyclopedia) Another concept introduced by Darwin at this time was the theory that all related organisms are actually descendants of the same ancestors. He also stated that the Earth was in fact not a static object but was actually evolving all the time. The theories of Darwin were attacked by scientists and by religious heads. Scientists were of the opinion that Darwin could not in fact prove his theory of variation and could not explain how these variations originated and how they could be passed on from one generation to the next. Religious heads, on the other hand, furiously questioned Darwin's theory of evolution as they felt that all living things had in fact evolved by natural processes, and that human beings were being placed at the same level as that of animals, and this would not be tolerated since it was in direct opposition to theological concepts of the evolution of mankind. (Darwin, Charles Robert: Encyclopedia) Human Evolution, taken in ordinary terms, is the process by which humans have changed from the ape-like creatures that they once used to be into the human figures, as we know them today, through a process of continuous change and adaptation to the environment. (Human Evolution)"

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