1. Select one of the five
individuals listed above who you would argue had the most influence over
Darwin’s development of his theory
of Natural selection. This could be a positive or a negative influence.
Out of the five individuals listed above, I believe Alfred
Russel Wallace had the most influence over the development of Darwin’s theory
of natural selection. I believe this because little did both Darwin and Wallace
know, they were basically working side by side. Also Wallace would help out Darwin
with his studies, and when Wallace gave Darwin his theory of evolution, Darwin’s
and Wallace’s they were similar.
2. Briefly (but completely) describe
the contribution this individual made to the scientific community.
You must provide one link to an
online source of information besides your textbook. No Wikipedia sources! (10 pts.)
One Alfred Russel Wallace’s biggest contributions to the
scientific community is he is the co-founder of the natural selection theory. Wallace
helped Darwin with his studies, and he also came up with a natural selection
theory of his own, which was similar to Darwin’s theory. Wallace wanted Darwin’s
help with publishing his theory and that is when Darwin came to realize their
theories were very similar. Both Wallace and Darwin both went on to presenting
their natural selection theory. Another contribution to the scientific
community was the antivaccination movement. He and other scientists would
vaccinate individuals for the small pox, however many people argued against it.
However the research was very ambiguous and it was more of a he said she said
at the time.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3321934/
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/history_14
3. from the bullet point list above
(under “How does evolution work?”), identify the point (or points) most directly
affected by this individual’s work and thoroughly explain how this point was influenced
by your selected individual. Again, this could be a positive effect, meaning Darwin
built upon the knowledge this information provided, or a negative effect,
meaning that Darwin demonstrated that this individual’s idea(s) were incorrect
and the mechanism of natural selection was an alternative explanation. (10 pts.)
The point “if the environment changes, the traits that are
helpful or adaptive to that environment will be different” directly influenced Wallace
because when he was exploring, he would observe plants and animals and he
noticed how each one had a mechanism for survival. Wallace noticed how some
birds beaks were a certain way so it made cracking nuts open easier, some
animals could camouflage so predators couldn’t see them, even plants had
different defense mechanisms to fight off insects. This was a positive for Darwin
because he had already been working on the same theory and Wallace helped him
believe natural selection was true.
4. Could Darwin have developed his
theory of natural selection without the influence and ideas of this individual?
Explain. (10pts)
I believe Darwin could have developed his theory of natural
selection without Wallace’s influence only because Darwin was already working
on the same theory at the same time. Although Wallace did help Darwin out by providing
him with birds to study. Darwin had already been working on this theory and
when Wallace showed him that he had thought of the same ideas, it could have strengthened
his belief.
5. How did the attitude of the
church affect Darwin and his eventual publication of his book On the Origin of
Species? (10 pts.)
I
believe the church didn’t really affect the Darwin and the eventual publication
of this book because even before Darwin wrote the book it was always a thought.
Although it was frown upon by the church some Christians saw it as the plan of
god. Some Christians did not see the book as a threat to their religion,
however many of them did see it as atheistic.
Hi Angelica,
ReplyDeleteWe both picked Alfred Russell Wallace as Darwin's main influence. You and I mentioned they both discovered a lot of their research at the same time without knowing each other but it wasn't until Wallace wrote to Darwin in regards to his research that Darwin felt he needed to step up to the plate. Darwin up to this point had allowed the church's attitude to influence his theory by not publishing his findings. He knew his theory would immediately spark controversy among the church. And he was right, he also could't allow Wallace get all the credit so he basically was forced to publish his findings regardless of what the church had to say.
Overall I enjoyed reading your post!
-Jeannette
Good background and discussion on Wallace's work and it's contribution to Darwin. I always find it amazing that Wallace happened to send his theory to, of all people, Darwin, the one man who would recognize it instantly.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your choice of bullet point, but don't all the bullet points apply to Wallace as well?
Correct, Darwin had already been working on his theory for 20 years before Wallace came on the scene, so there is no question about developing his theory without Wallace. But you are correct that Wallace provided supporting evidence. As you stated earlier, he also provided the impetus Darwin needed to publish his paper after working on it for so long.
I challenge the comment that the church had little impact on Darwin publishing his work, namely because Darwin delayed for over 20 years to publish. Why? What caused him to delay? What concerns did he have, both for himself and for his family that would cause him to wait so long? There may have been an aspect of the careful scientist causing him to ensure the work was "perfect" but it also needs to be recognized that he was preparing to publish a piece that contradicted the teachings of the church. That had to have given him pause, don't you think?
Otherwise, good post.