How Charles Darwin Questions Society's Realistic Outlook

The theory that Charles Darwin is most famous for has come to be commonly known as Darwinism. This theory deals with the changes that occur within a giving plant or animal species and how, over time, these changes can lead to the development of new and unique species. The basics of Darwinism can be boiled down to basic competes that are always working together to produce the needed transformations. Though it is not as popular as it once was, the basic ideas of Darwinism laid the foundation for many of the evolutionary theories that are held onto today by the scientific community and challenged by those who take a differ look and approach to the idea of evolution.

Darwinism holds to the idea that each major animal or place species is comprised of individuals that vary have slight changes or variations to their characteristics with respect to their dominant or most basic traits. For example the species known as canine all have basic features that make them canines but there are also many variations. Darwin also proposed that most species would increase in size with each new generation- thus allowing for growth and dominance of certain species after many generations worth of growth. This is where Darwin’s most famous theory was born and where he began to really challenge the realistic outlook people had on the way the world worked. It was at this time that the theory of survival of the fittest came to be.

This theory says basically that the strongest survive and the weak die off- thus letting the species evolve and continue to change and better itself with each new surviving generation. These individuals will have a better chance of surviving and reproducing, thus leaving more offspring. Offspring tend to inherit the variations of their parents according to Darwin so there was another challenge to the realistic view of society- children get the good and bad from their parents and that can have a huge impact on their success or failures in life. Most people did not want to hear this or accept it.

Darwin was known for his theories of evolution and change within species. Over time, the process of survival of the fittest will cause the character of species to change and evolve e into something different. When compared to its ancestors from ten generations ago, there may be major changes seen within the species. The basic concept he brought to the mainstream of society and science is the idea that given enough time, the descendants of a species will adapt and change and those that cannot adapt or that do not adapt adequately will be killed off in order to ensure only the strongest survive for the species to continue. It is a controversial theory and it turned the science community on its head, but it also helped lay the foundation for many scientific theories we hold today.