In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly it is the dynamic evolutionary process that fits a population of organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the population during that process. Thirdly, it is a phenotypic or adaptive trait, with a functional role in each individual organism, that is maintained and has been evolved by natural selection.

Organisms face a succession of environmental challenges as they grow, and show adaptive plasticity as traits develop in response to the imposed conditions. This gives them resilience to varying environments.

Adaptation is an observable fact of life accepted by philosophers and natural historians from ancient times, independently of their views on evolution, but their explanations differed. Empedocles did not believe that adaptation required a final cause (~ purpose), but "came about naturally, since such things survived." Aristotle did believe in final causes, but assumed that species were fixed.

In natural theology, adaptation was interpreted as the work of a deity and as evidence for the existence of God. William Paley believed that organisms were perfectly adapted to the lives they led, an argument that shadowed Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who had argued that God had brought about "the best of all possible worlds." Voltaire's Dr. Pangloss is a parody of this optimistic idea, and David Hume also argued against design. The "Bridgewater Treatises" are a product of natural theology, though some of the authors managed to present their work in a fairly neutral manner. The series was lampooned by Robert Knox, who held quasi-evolutionary views, as the "Bilgewater Treatises". Charles Darwin broke with the tradition by emphasising the flaws and limitations which occurred in the animal and plant worlds.

Based on the article and the following list of answers, write a list of questions.

1. adaptation
2. organisms were perfectly adapted to the lives they led
3. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
4. God had brought about the best of all possible worlds.
5. Voltaire
6. Dr. Pangloss
7. three
8. the dynamic evolutionary process
9. evolutionary fitness
10. a state reached by the population
11. during that process
12. a phenotypic or adaptive trait
13. a functional role
14. natural selection
15. a succession of environmental challenges
16. as they grow
17. adaptive plasticity
18. the imposed conditions.
19. gives them resilience
20. Bridgewater Treatises
1. What was interpreted as the work of a god?
2. what did William Paley say?
3. who's idea did that shadow?
4. what exactly did he argue?
5. Who made fun of that idea?
6. what woirk?
7. how many meanings does adaption have in biology?
8. name one
9. what does that improve?
10. what's the 2nd meaning?
11. when?
12. lastly?
13. what type of role does that play
14. how is the trait developed?
15. what do living things face?
16. when?
17. what allows them to develop?
18. in response to what?
19. what does this do?
20. What did David Hulme write?