History Of Evolution
...Evolution occurs via natural selection which creates competition between organisms to survive. Although, people have been thinking about evolution for years, Charles Darwin is often referred to as the father of evolution. The theory of evolution is also a topic of great debate because some parts of the theory contradict people's religious beliefs.
Introduction
Since Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species in 1859, the topic of evolution has been up for debate for quite sometime now. Do species go extinct? Do humans and primates share a common ancestor? Do traits acquired over the life time of an organism, pass down to the offspring? Should evolution be taught in the classroom? These are all questions that have been asked pertaining to evolution. Evolution is a racy topic because it pits the field of science against people fundament religious beliefs.
Ideas before Darwin
Biological evolution can be defined as a change in the form or the behavior of an organism between generations. Although, the concept of biological evolution has been around for quite some time, it's roots can be traced back to the times of ancient Greek and Roman empires with the great philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle came up with the idea which he called, "The Great Chain of Being." In his view Aristotle believed the world to be a perfect universe, in which species could never evolve and must remain fixed. Aristotle came up with the idea which he called, "The Great Chain of Being," which was his attempt to make sense of the changing relationships among living beings. In this view Aristotle believed the world to be a perfect universe, in which species could never evolve and must remain fixed. There was an order to beings or ladder, with species such as worms on the bottom and human beings at the top of the ladder. Aristotle was also well-known of his work in the field...
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