Darwin's Theory Of Evolution By Natural Selection

Darwin’s theory was challenged by his contemporaries and the scientific community for many reasons. Firstly, Darwinism rejects the idea of divine intervention. The theory of evolution by natural selection explains the diversity of the world solely materialistically without the assistance of a divine being (Mayr, 2009). Although eliminating God allowed for strictly scientific explanations for natural phenomena, many of Darwin’s contemporaries at the time were men of a Christian faith and therefore had some difficulties coming to terms with his theory (Mayr, 2009). Secondly, Darwin’s theory refuted typology. Per Mayr, typology is unable to accommodate variation therefore giving rise to misleading conceptions of humanity (2009). In a society,

For theologians and philosophers alike, Man was a creature above and apart from other living beings” -(Mayr, 2009).

This seemed like a farfetched idea at the time, but with the help of biologists like Thomas Huxely and Ernest Heckel it was revealed through rigorous anatomical study that human and living apes undoubtedly have a common ancestor (Mayr, 2009).

Despite the initial resistance Darwin was confronted with by philosophers and scientist (and especially by the church) Darwinism is now almost universally acknowledged (Mayr, 2009). His idea of natural selection has been the cornerstone on which modern biological science and evolutionary thought has been

Africanus, A. Bahrelghazali, A. Anamensis, A. Boisei, A. Robustus, and A. Aethiopicus) all sharing charactersitics which classify them as hominids (Australopithecus, 2012). The main characteristic which classifies each of these sub species as hominids is their ability to walk on two legs (bipedalism). An example that clearly displays these characteristics would be the discovery of the ‘Taung Baby’ by Raymond Dart, an Australian anatomy professor. “Taung Baby” was classified as Australopithecus africanus (O’Neil, 2012). The skull of ‘Taung Baby” shared the characteristics that allowed it to be classified as Australopithecus as well as a hominid. The child’s skull indicated that the foramen magnum pointed downward and was nearly at the central balance point of the skull. This meant the child was bipedal. A crucial characteristic. Another factor was that the child’s canines were relatively short, a trait prominent in hominids (O’Neil, 2012). Another spectacular example is the discovery of “Lucy” by Johanson and his team. The ancient skeleton was the most complete fossil of a hominid ever unearthed. Lucy had a small cranium (440cc). However, her spine, pelvis, hips and feet all clearly show she was bipedal and therefor classified as Australopithecus Afarensis (Scupin & DeCorse,