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Charles Darwin (Feb 12, 1809- April 19, 1882) - Nonconstancy of Species
Charles Darwin founded a new branch of life science, evolutionary biology. One of Darwin's contributions to philosophy of science is non-constancy of species, or the modern conception of evolution itself. Non-constancy can be observed through variation in the offspring of species. For example different sized beaks in finches show variation in birds and provide different advantages. Non-constancy can occur in many different species from a herd of deer to moths to birds to humans. -
Charles Darwin (Feb 12, 1809- April 19, 1882): Notion of Branching Evolution
Charles Darwin's next contribution to the philosophy of science is the notion of branching evolution which is implying the common descent of all species of living things on earth from a single unique origin. Essentially all species descend from a single ancestor and new species can evolve over time from pre-existing species. There was a theory where groups or organisms change in their heritable traits over generations which was described by Darwin as "descent with modification" which is now..... -
Charles Darwin (Feb 12, 1809- April 19, 1882): On the Origin of Species
Charles Darwin believed evolution must be gradual, with no major breaks or discontinuities. Darwin published his book On the Origin of Species and it changed science and how scientists viewed it forever. An interesting way to understand Darwin's theory is by his illustration of a tree diagram. The branching is a metaphor for the way species originate by splitting. YouTube -
Charles Darwin (Feb 12, 1809- April 19, 1882): Natural Selection
Natural selection was discovered by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. It's not a force like in the laws of physics but simply the elimination of inferior individuals. According to Darwin natural selection is a natural process that results in the survival and reproduction of organisms with genetic traits best suited to their environment which is known as the "survival of the fittest". Additionally there are three principles for natural selection which are that most characteristics in the