by Darwinian Evolution is a theory of biological evolution developed by Charles Darwin in the 19th century. Darwin’s theory of evolution states that all species of organisms develop through a process known as natural selection where only the fittest organisms with the most advantageous traits survive. While Darwin’s theory of evolution was largely controversial at the time of discovery, over time, many people began adopting the idea, going against previous religious beliefs about the origin of life. At the time that Darwin’s evolution theory was developed, religion, particularly Christianity was extremely prominent. Many religious people already had their own stories about life, prior to Darwin’s theory. Christians believe that God created all life, therefore rejecting Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Because religion was so prominent at the time Darwin’s theory was developed, it was difficult for many people to believe because they had been told stories of god creating all living things for their whole lives. At the time Darwin’s theory was developed, science clashed with religion in society. For many people, it was easier to discredit Darwin’s theory rather than discrediting the religion that they strongly believed in for their entire lives. Over the course of time, however, Darwin’s theory gained popularity as people understood that his theory of evolution can be observed in nature. Today, Darwin’s theory of evolution is taught in biology classes across the world and is widely accepted. When people began to embrace Darwin’s theory of evolution and move away from previous religious beliefs, science became a more important part of society as people started to look to science-backed research to answer important questions about our world. Science and religion will always clash in one way or another as religion aims to answer the unanswered questions of our lives, however over the course of time, people have moved away from religion and towards science to answer these important questions. Darwin’s theory of evolution was one of the starting points where people shifted from religious-based thinking to scientific-based thinking about our world. This shift in thinking in our society is important because it opened the door for more scientific discoveries. If religion was the only thing that people believed in, many discoveries in the field of science regarding human psychology, diseases, ecosystems, etc. would not exist. The adoption of Darwin’s theory of evolution was extremely important for our society as it opened doors in scientific research and changed the way that many people view the natural world. Prior to Darwin, religion was widely utilized as a tool to answer important questions that appeared impossible to answer. As people began to adopt scientific theories, it changed the way that science was perceived in society and ultimately opened the door for future discoveries in many scientific fields.
Darwin opened the door for future scientific discoveries and his theory of evolution certainly has a big legacy today. Darwin’s theory can be learned about in-depth in just about any biology textbook. This reveals that from the 19th century to today, science and scientific theories have gained popularity in society. Before Darwin, religious ideas strived in society, however as people began adopting scientific theories such as Darwin’s over traditional religious stories, science became a larger and more important part of society as people looked to scientific research to answer questions about life.