by Darwin alongside Wallace discovered the phenomenon know as natural selection. The very natural force that differentiates every species on the planet and individuals amongst them. But what did this mean to society at the time?During the time period in which the two scientists live, specifically relative to where they lived, during the early 19th century in England, Christianity was the answer to most questions. This made publishing scientific discoveries very controversial. The truth of the time was that man was created by God in God’s image. So that this belief gave humanity a higher existence because humans weren’t created by nature but rather placed on Earth by God himself. When Darwin published his book, “On The Origin Of Species” in 1859, it was revolutionary and controversial for two distinct reasons. According to the Genesis 1, the story of creation, God created the Earth, then he created fish, livestock and birds, then he finally created man in his image. Darwin’s book suggested that animals actually each naturally evolved from similar ancestors which challenged the bible’s explanation for the existence of animals and all the creatures that live on the planet. Instead of life existing directly from God’s holy creation, it was slowly shaped by nature.
In Darwin’s book, he explains genetic and inheritance and how nature will favor those with better genes, hence allowing them to pass on their genes to their offspring, while those individuals with inefficient genes die before they can reproduce. Since the individuals with “bad” genes are unable to reproduce, their genes don’t make it to the next generation. So after many many generation, nature selected the fittest genotypes. This phenomenon is known as natural selection and explains how species differentiate from other species depending on the climate they live in and what genes are favorable.
The second controversy surrounded the notion that man itself came from the process of natural selection. European society was taught that mankind was created separately from animals. That there was a holy distinction between man and all other life. This notion therefore gave people the sense that they are above all other animals in more than just intelligence. In contrast Darwin included in his publication how mankind most likely evolved from apes and apes evolved from some other common ancestor. He immediately was mocked and ridiculed for suggesting that humans were at some point apes. There even were political cartoons made about him in which his face was drawn on an apes body.
Although his work was met with some resistance, it slowly began being accepted by society. Darwin’s legacy in science is becoming more engrained over time as society and technology advance. Since the publication of his book, people have been adopting his explanation of evolution to this day. Even today there are those groups and communities that don’t believe in the evolution of humanity, but nevertheless compared to how much of the educated world believes in natural selection, they are rare. Darwin’s scientific discoveries clashed with religion and therefore clashed with societies view on the world, but through time and development evolution was adopted throughout the communities.