Discussion: Darwin's Origin of Species

Discussion: On the Origin of Species

1. Comment on what Darwin was attempting to accomplish in the Origin, his method, and how well you think he succeeded in his aim?

He wanted to lay out a well-constructed body of information to show how natural selection HAD to be the answer rather than a creationism myth.  Wanted it to be understandable by the "lay" reader.

Natura non facit saltum

Nature makes no leaps

2. William Paley’s Natural Theology: Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity (1802) greatly impressed Darwin in his youth (Paley is responsible for the famous ‘watchmaker’ metaphor). Among other things, he argued that the complex structure of the eye is clear evidence of an Intelligent Designer. How did Darwin deal with this kind of argument?

Darwin described how eyes can be lost or become less functional in animals that don't need them i.e." where working eyes don't contribute to the survival of the species such as moles, some bats etc.

He said that eyes would have evolved "little by little" and in nature we see great variability in the eye.

3. Given Whewell’s comment above, do you think that it is possible to read God into evolutionary theory? What was Darwin’s view?

Darwin seemed to want to avoid bringing God into the discussion.  He felt that we did not need God to explain the variety of animals on earth but that doesn't mean he doesn't exist.  He is just not needed for the discussion.  These incredible organs we have and marvelously adapted characteristics all evolved "little by little".

Darwin considered that man evolved as animals did, all from the same basis, starting point.

3. How did Darwin use his own experiments to bolster his general argument?

This was the part I enjoyed the most - how he could study species from travels around the world and from other scientists but then deduce so much just from little experiments he would do in his own property.

4. Why did Darwin devote so much attention to the difficulty in distinguishing ‘species’ from ‘varieties’? What bearing might this problem have on the nature and interpretation of human “races”? He spent quite a bit of time on this, trying to decide what the basic unit was, what the end points of various evolutionary branches would be.

7. What was the importance to Darwin of the discovery of “deep time” – time as understood by geologists like Lyell?  The notion of immense stretches of time are what allowed Darwin's theory to be feasible, little by little over a LONG period of time.