BBC - iWonder - Charles Darwin: Evolution and the story of our species Charles Darwin: Evolution and the story of our species 12 Feb 1809 19 April 1882Darwin dies The man who struggled with his own ideas Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection made us rethink our place in the world. The idea that humans shared a common ancestor with apes was a challenge to the foundations of western civilisation. Darwin kept silent for 20 years before going public and was only half joking when he described writing his book 'On the Origin of Species' as 'like confessing a murder'. This is the story of one man’s struggle with the most radical idea of all time. 12 Feb 1809 Born into a free-thinking family Both of Darwin's grandfathers belonged to the 'Lunar Society': a group of industrialists and Natural Philosophers Charles Robert Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, the fifth of six children of wealthy and well-connected parents. The young Charles had a quietly Christian upbringing, but his family life was one of openness to new ideas.

His grandfathers had both been important figures of the Enlightenment: Josiah Wedgewood, industrialist and anti-slavery campaigner, and Erasmus Darwin, a doctor whose book ‘Zoonomia’ had set out a radical and highly controversial idea - that one species could 'transmute' into another. Would it be too bold to imagine, that all warm-blooded animals have arisen from one living filament...? Darwin's grandfather Erasmus Darwin, from his 1794 book 'Zoonomia' 1825 New ideas in Edinburgh Edinburgh University as Darwin would have known it Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Darwin secured a place at Edinburgh University to study medicine. He did not make a good medic. This was long before anaesthetic, and Darwin found the brutal techniques of surgery too stomach-churning to handle. But there was an upside. Edinburgh was one of the best places in Britain to study science. It attracted free thinkers with radical opinions that would not have been tolerated in Oxford and Cambridge. Among other things, Darwin heard speakers talk about the latest theories of transmutation, as evolution was then known.

Collecting beetles in Cambridge Darwin was an avid collector of beetles Abandoning plans to be a doctor, Darwin now considered a career in the Church. Aged 18, he went to study Divinity at Cambridge. Though he held fairly conventional beliefs in God, Darwin wasn't particularly keen on this new direction. But training to be a clergyman meant he had plenty of time to pursue his real passion: biology. He spent much of his time collecting beetles and walking on the Fens. He graduated in 1831 but before he could take a job as a cleric, the chance of a lifetime would come his way. I saw two rare beetles and seized one in each hand; then I saw a third… I popped the one which I held in my right hand into my mouth. Charles Darwin describes his Cambridge years in his autobiography 1831 Setting sail around the world HMS Beagle was Darwin's home for five years Darwin’s tutor at Cambridge recommended him as a ‘gentleman naturalist’ on a voyage around the world on HMS Beagle. Darwin jumped at the chance. Over the following five years, Darwin visited four continents, spending much of his time on land collecting specimens and investigating the local geology.

He also had long periods with nothing to do but read and reflect. Books such as Charles Lyell's recently published Principles of Geology had a profound impact, making him think about slow processes which occur over vast periods of time. During the trip, Darwin also suffered terrible sea-sickness – the start of a life dogged by illness. The misery I endured from seasickness is beyond what I ever guessed at. Charles Darwin describes his voyage on the Beagle 1835 ...we seem to be brought somewhat near to that great fact — that mystery of mysteries — the first appearance of new beings on this Earth. Darwin describes the Galapágos Islands in 'The Voyage of the Beagle' 1838 Darwin drafts his first account of evolution You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. What did Darwin write in his secret notebook on evolution? (Clip from 'Darwin's Dangerous Idea', BBC Two) Home again, Darwin showed his specimens to fellow biologists and began writing up his travels. A powerful, elegant idea began to emerge in his mind. Darwin saw how transmutation happened. Animals more suited to their environment survive longer and have more young. Evolution occurred by a process he called 'Natural Selection'.

Darwin struggled with the idea; it contradicted his Christian world view. His grandfather had been ostracised for writing about transmutation and he feared the same fate. He decided to gather more evidence before going public. In the meantime, he made his name by publishing an account of his travels. I was very unwilling to give up my belief... Thus disbelief crept over me at a very slow rate, but was at last complete. Darwin describes his anguish over his ideas in his autobiography 1851 Darwin worries himself sick Charles Darwin, aged 40 In 1851, Darwin's favourite daughter, 10-year-old Anne, sickened and died. Darwin also grew ill, suffering long bouts of nausea. Illness had been a recurring feature of his life. He had spent long periods shut away at home, nursed by Emma. Historians offer many explanations for Darwin's symptoms. Some suggest tropical disease. Others argue his symptoms were largely psychosomatic, brought on by anxiety. Periods of sickness often coincided with stressful events. His health would grow worse when the time came to go public with his new theory.

The letter that lit a fire Darwin and Wallace independently came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection By summer 1858, Darwin had written a quarter of a million words on evolution – and published none. Then a letter compelled him to go public. Alfred Russel Wallace was an admirer of Darwin's. Inspired by the Beagle voyage, Wallace set off travelling. He independently arrived at a theory of natural selection and wanted Darwin's advice on how to publish. Darwin realised that if he didn't go public quickly then Wallace would take credit for the new ideas, but Wallace was abroad and uncontactable. This left Darwin in a moral quandary. As well as agonising over whether to speak out, he had to decide how to treat Wallace fairly. Darwin and Wallace rewrite the theory of evolution Darwin and Wallace presented their accounts of evolution at the same meeting Darwin finally went public with his groundbreaking theory of evolution by natural selection, while making sure that Wallace received some credit. Darwin's ideas were presented to Britain's leading Natural History body, the Linnean Society. After consulting with colleagues, Darwin agreed that extracts from his and Wallace's papers should be presented at the same meeting.

Wallace, on his return, accepted that Darwin had treated him fairly. But Darwin missed the presentation. A private tragedy struck: his son died of scarlet fever, aged just 18 months. I am quite prostrated, and can do nothing... I hardly care about it. Darwin's moment of glory was overshadowed by the death of his son Charles November 1859 Darwin publishes 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection' Darwin's account of evolution polarised opinion Still wracked by doubt, Darwin finally published his new theory of evolution. It would become one of the most important books ever written. Darwin described writing it as like 'living in Hell'. He dreaded losing his reputation, as his grandfather Erasmus had. Charles did draw fierce criticism from the Church, and from some parts of the press. Many people were shaken by the book's key implication: that human beings were descended from apes, though Darwin only hinted at it. However, some were now willing to listen to evidence for evolution – especially from a leading figure like Darwin. One general law, leading to the advancement of all organic beings, namely, multiply, vary, let the strongest live and the weakest die.

Charles Darwin, from 'On the Origin of Species' June 1860 Evolution on trial at Oxford University You need to have JavaScript enabled to view this clip. Andrew Marr re-enacts key moments from the Oxford Debate. (Clip from 'Darwin's Dangerous Idea', BBC Two) Darwin was reluctant to defend his ideas in public. It was left to others – notably a young biologist named Thomas Huxley – to take up the fight. In the 19th Century, scientific talks were popular entertainment and any debate about evolution was sure to draw crowds. Huxley's most famous clash came at meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. In what many saw as a key battle between science and God, Huxley went head to head with Bishop Samuel Wilberforce and his Biblical account of creation. Both sides claimed victory. The debate has become part of the Darwin legend and shows how his ideas shook Victorian society. Professor Huxley had said that he didn't see that it mattered much to a man whether his grandfather were an ape or no!

A witness recalls the Oxford University debate 1862 A worrying inheritance Charles Darwin and his son William, taken in 1842 Darwin wrote a warning about close relatives having children, buried in an obscure botanical textbook. He was already worried about his own marriage. Darwin and his cousin Emma had ten children and Charles was a devoted father. Yet the couple had now lost a son and two daughters, and nursed others through illness. Darwin knew that orchids were less healthy when they self-fertilised and worried that inbreeding within his own family may have caused problems. Yet when Darwin lobbied to add questions on cousin-marriage to the 1871 census he was refused. Queen Victoria had married her cousin, and Darwin was challenging another taboo. Nature thus tells us, in the most emphatic manner, that she abhors perpetual self-fertilisation. Darwin's work on the fertilisation of orchids led him to worry about inbreeding in his own family 1869 Survival of the fittest Darwin's Galapágos finches demonstrate the priniciple of 'Survival of the Fittest'. Each has adapted to its environment.

Origin of Species was a bestseller worldwide and went into multiple editions. With each new edition, Darwin strengthened his arguments. By responding to critics, he was able to build a more robust case. For the 5th edition he introduced the phrase 'survival of the fittest', borrowed from philosopher Herbert Spencer. The phrase has become shorthand for Darwin's idea. Unlike 'natural selection', it doesn't imply a divine being selecting anything. Darwin now described himself as an 'agnostic' – a term coined by Huxley. February 1871 Darwin publishes 'The Descent of Man' Darwin's account of human evolution made him an easy target for cartoonists, and his caricature was familiar to all More than a decade after his 'Origin of Species', Darwin found courage to publish ideas he had once only hinted at. In 'The Descent of Man' he presented an unequivocal account of human evolution. The book was another challenge to Christian orthodoxy. Yet in the decade since Darwin had gone public, his ideas had gained acceptance. Victorian society remained deeply divided about the idea that humans shared an ancestor with apes, but many respectable thinkers were now ‘Darwinists’. ...a small book of little moment...

I have little strength and feel very old. Darwin describes his final book: 'The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms' 19 April 1882 Darwin dies Darwin was buried at Westminster Abbey on 26 April 1882 Still troubled by ill health, Darwin worked until the end. He died a virtual recluse, surrounded by his wife and a few devoted friends. In his final months Darwin was tended by Emma, who had stood by him despite their differences in religious belief. Realising that his powers were fading, he described his local graveyard as 'the sweetest place on Earth'. Yet his followers, including the indomitable Huxley, had grander plans. He was buried at Westminster Abbey. The Descent of Man - About Darwin Despite his great intellectual legacy, Darwin was considered a very ordinary student. He was taken out of school by his doctor father at the early age of 16 to study medicine in Edinburgh. But he grew disenchanted, developed a morbid fear of human blood and quit after 2 years. He was encouraged to become a clergyman instead and took up studies in divinity, classics, and mathematics at Christ's College Cambridge.

When Darwin started showing a real interest in the natural sciences, evolution was condemned by Church and scientific authorities alike. It was seen as morally degenerate and subversive, reducing humans to beasts, and destroying their unique status. The prevailing view was that different living species were each directly, and divinely, created by one creator - and not related to each other. Humans were seen as superior to, and set apart from, all other animals. Darwin's earliest scientific mentor was Robert Edmond Grant, an expert on marine sponges in Edinburgh. Grant was a great supporter of the evolutionist, Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck, who suggested the concept of evolution half a century before Darwin. Lamarck's theory of the inheritance of acquired characteristics presented the first detailed argument of how change might occur across generations. It suggested that living things had a natural tendency towards progress, and that they could pass on useful features developed during the course of their lives. The theory, however, was considered flawed. At Cambridge, Darwin became obsessed with insects, and went on regular "beetling" excursions.

Reverend John Stevens Henslow, a professor of botany, was perhaps his most influential mentor, and hosted regular Friday night soirèes for budding naturalists like Darwin. In December 1831, at the tender age of 22, and a candidate for the Holy Orders, Darwin boarded the HMS Beagle, as a naturalist with the help of his mentor, Henslow. The Beagle's mission, lead by Captain Robert Fitzroy, an avowed Creationist, was to chart the coastal waters of Patagonia, Chile and Peru. It was to be a journey that would shape the rest of Darwin's life, and revolutionize biology. His father, however, initially refused permission for his son to join the crew - frustrated at Darwin's lack of direction and frittering of funds. He was a poor seafarer, and frequently seasick. But Darwin was to spend 5 years travelling and studying South America, living on and off the Beagle, with its two tiny cabins. It was an eye-opening and challenging adventure, which freed Darwin from the judgement of his father, and conservative English society.

The remote and exquisite Galapagos Islands are a group of extinct or dormant volcanoes, 1000 kilometres west of South America. With their stunning array of wildlife, the islands were where Darwin's most important studies were carried out - fundamental to the later development of his theory of evolution. Today, the islands are ravaged by the likes of cats, dogs, pigs, and oppressive blackberry vines. Throughout his travels he shipped thousands of specimens back home - some 1529 species pickled in spirits and 3907 labelled skins, bones, and other dried specimens, and he filled reams of books with zoological and geological notes. When he returned to England he initially had difficulty finding homes for his bizarre souvenirs! His observations and dissections of Galapagos finches especially intrigued him. Later, with the help of the acclaimed ornithologist and artist, John Gould, he revealed that different 'brands' or species of finches, with slightly different beaks and features, inhabited different islands.But how did they come to be? The prevailing belief was that different species were placed by a divine creator to suit their different living environments.

But if this was so, asked Darwin, why did very similar habitats around the world reveal such vastly unique species? In the case of the Galapagos finches, Darwin was later to propose that the original bird immigrants to the islands had altered, 'evolved' or 'transmutated' across generations in response to their living environments, to produce new species. This idea, of life being 'self-made' and not divinely created, was contentious. Darwin, writing later to close friend and sounding board, the eminent botanist Joseph Hooker, said "simply believing in evolution seemed like confessing a murder." Darwin arrived home on the Beagle on the 2 October 1836. The following year saw Darwin's scientific 'society' debut. He presented his first paper to the Geological Society in Britain, about his theory of the Chilean coast being uplifted sea floor. Family and friends gathered alongside esteemed scientists, including the distinguished geologist, Charles Lyell, who was a key inspiration to Darwin. Darwin became known first for his scientific endeavours in geology, before biology.

Darwin published the 770 page diary of his travels as the Journal of Researches, and later as the popular The Voyage of the Beagle. For this, he became known internationally. But it took him some 10 years to describe all the specimens he had gathered. All the while he stewed on his theory of evolution or 'transmutation' of life, drawing evidence from domestic animals as well as from his Beagle haul. Though engaged in much debate and speculation with colleagues and mentors, he kept the full weight of his musings to himself, well aware of their controversial nature. In 1839, after characteristic deliberation, and just a few months before natural selection dawned upon him, Darwin married his cousin Emma Wedgewood, the daughter of his maternal uncle, Josiah Wedgewood (an industrialist of fine china fame). She was an active woman, played the piano fluently after lessons from no less than Chopin, and was described as a "dragoness" at archery. They had 10 children together, all difficult pregnancies for Emma. Three of their children died.

It was the early death of Darwin's special favourite, Annie, that pushed him to finally take a stand as a nonbeliever. However, Emma was a devout Christian - and was often challenged by Darwin's musings on evolution. Darwin suffered from an ongoing and chronic mystery illness - which has since been the subject of much speculation. Was it the fear and apprehension of keeping his emerging theories secret from his scientific peers, or an infectious disease picked up during his travels? He maintained that "Man in his arrogance thinks himself a great work, worthy the interposition of a deity...it is more humble and I believe true to consider him created from animals." Darwin finally nutted out a possible mechanism for the evolution of living species. He called it 'natural selection'. A key inspiration was an essay written by Thomas Robert Malthus, An Essay on the Principles of Population, written some 40 years before. The essay suggested that, if uncontrolled, the human population would continue to increase exponentially. Malthus pointed out that famine, war and pestilence acted to keep the population within sustainable limits. For Darwin, this thesis pointed to the notion that the overproduction of species could be constrained by 'selective' mortality of the least fit ie.

the survival of the fittest. Natural selection was considered a force for the alteration of species. In essence, in the battle for their survival, only those individuals best adapted to their environment are more likely to survive, reproduce and pass on their genes. Favourable or beneficial variations of species are favoured and retained, while harmful or useless ones are rejected and lost. So, across generations, different species undergo adaptations through the gradual accumulation of useful variations - those which help them better survive and successfully reproduce in their particular environments. And new species evolve in a series of tiny, steady, and imperceptible steps. Domestic animals, suggested Darwin, undergo an 'artificial selection' in which case it is humans who decide which animals should reproduce. Darwin proposed 'sexual selection' to explain the accentuation of features, not always essential or even beneficial to survival, that increase a species' chance of securing a mate and breeding. For example, the male peacock's immense and lurid tail attracts female peacocks. Tiny barnacles proved to be a great distraction from matters of natural selection. Darwin spent years dissecting and classifying many species of barnacle, in a quest to unravel the mysteries of this misunderstood and "ill-formed little monster".

Darwin planned to publish his many ideas on evolution in a hefty volume called Natural Selection, but in June 1858 he received a letter from a naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace. Wallace had sent him an unpublished manuscript, called On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely from the Origin Type, which outlined many of Darwin's ideas on natural selection. Darwin panicked! He needed to go public, and fast... Darwin arranged a combined presentation of his work and Wallace's in July 1858. The response was surprisingly low key. By October 1859, Darwin finished a book which he called On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life which we know best as the Origin of Species. It was a smaller volume than he had originally envisaged, but intentionally more readable. In it, Darwin worked hard to provide evidence and argument for his theories, not shying away from any holes or unresolved areas. The book caused a stir, and divided many who read it. At 15 shillings a copy, The Origin of Species sold out on the first day it was published.

The work sparked, and continues to agitate, enormous social and scientific debate. It has been in print ever since. In 1864, the X Club formed. They were an influential group of eminent British scientists who rallied around Darwin and his ideas on evolution. Including the surgeon Thomas Henry Huxley, who became known as "Darwin's bulldog", their aim was to "free nature from reactionary theology, free science from aristocratic patronage, and place an intellectual priesthood at the head of English culture." They were to prove great allies to Darwin throughout his career. In a subsequent book, The Descent of Man , published in 1871, Darwin finally presented his ideas on evolution as applied to us humans. He proposed that we evolved from apes through a series of gradual steps. Even uniquely human attributes, he suggested, such as intelligence and emotion could come about through natural selection. It's here that modern evolutionary psychologists pick up from where Darwin left off. Humans and all their associated habits and behaviours, they suggest, can be explained as products of evolution. Worms were the subject of Darwin's last work, another bestseller.

Darwin died in 1882 and, despite his denouncement by so many church leaders, after a public campaign of support he was buried in Westminster Abbey. Leaders from science, the state and the church attended. While the idea of evolution was accepted amongst the scientific community, the mechanism of 'natural selection' failed to entirely convince. It wasn't until Gregor Mendel's studies of heredity were widely known, that natural selection became more mainstream. Today, the discovery of genes, made up of DNA, as the units of heredity transferred from generation to generation, has given mainstream validation to Darwin's theory of natural selection. Adrian Desmond and James Moore, Darwin, Penguin Books, 1992 David Burnie Get a Grip on Evolution, Weidenfield & Nicolson (The Ivy Press Limited), 1999 Charles Darwin's Hidden Agenda Home \ C-SRC \ Darwin's Agenda for Science Charles Darwin's Hidden Agenda for Science The standard, long held view of the connection between Darwin's religion and his theory is wrong. Supposedly he was a Christian who studied at Cambridge to become a minister.

But then, during his voyage around the world on the Beagle, the scientific facts persuaded him to believe in evolution and give up his Christian faith. However, an examination of the various influences upon the youthful Charles Darwin reveals an entirely different story. Family Background. Charles' grandfather, Erasmus, a successful and wealthy physician in the 18th century, wrote the book, Zoonomia (Laws of Life), which portrays a pantheistic world in which all life and species evolved. Erasmus' close friend, industrialist Josiah Wedgwood I, embraced Unitarian theology. Erasmus' son and Charles' father, Robert Darwin, also a wealthy physician, probably an atheist, married Susannah Wedgwood. Other marriage ties between the two families followed. Not surprisingly, Darwin males generally were freethinkers, following the Unitarian, pantheistic and atheistic views of their principal sires. The Son, His Father and His Wife. Charles Darwin, was born in 1809. His dominant, atheistic father, Robert, advised him to conceal his unorthodox beliefs from his wife. Should he predecease her this would spare her from unnecessary grief because of her spouse's dying an unbeliever.

Charles never spoke publicly about his religious views. However, before he married Emma Wedgwood in 1839 he told her about his rejection of Christian faith. Though probably not herself evangelical, she was nevertheless pious, and the rather gross unbelief of her husband was painful to her. But during his life and even after his death she protected his reputation by concealing his unbelief. Charles' Education Robert Darwin sent his son off to Edinburgh University in 1825. The sixteen-year-old boy found himself in a university community which was in a continual ferment of radicalism of all sorts advanced by dissenters from the Anglican church, freethinkers, anti-Christians and atheists, materialists and evolutionists. Evolution was in the air. Most influential in this phase of Charles Darwin's life was Robert Grant, a dozen years his senior. Holding the medical degree from Edinburgh, he had made himself the leading British authority in invertebrate zoology. Grant was an avowed atheist, and evolutionist, and also a social and political radical. On zoological field trips with Grant young Charles listened to his persuasive private lecturing but kept his own counsel.

Deeply interested in biological science, Charles abhorred medicine The sight of blood sickened him. After two years he returned home without a degree. Disappointed, father Robert Darwin decided to send him off to Cambridge University for a degree in theology, after which he could purchase for him a "living" in an Anglican country church. There he could be a sportsman, a scholar, or an amateur naturalist, supported by a government stipend for life. Charles dutifully signed onto the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England and entered Cambridge. He surely saw the hypocrisy in an atheist father's financing his son's preparation to be a minister of the gospel. At Cambridge Prof. Adam Sedgwick, a leading English geologist, took Darwin with him on a geology field trip in the south of England. Impressed with the young man's abilities, he predicted that his student would make his mark in science. Though studying for a degree in theology, Darwin put his greatest energies into geology and other natural sciences. Darwin read Archdeacon William Paley's classic book on the evidence for God in the designs of living creatures. Darwin was impressed with the book but devoted the rest of his life to disproving it.

Reading the standard theology texts, he concluded that he could accept intellectually the arguments for Christianity. Later, however, with a fellow student he decided that he could not affirm having a divine call to the Christian ministry.On the other hand, naturalist Von Humboldt's reports of his travels to exotic places stirred in Charles a yearning to follow in his steps. Thus when he received his theology degree in 1831, his future was doubtful. With a young friend he was planning a trip around the world when a letter arrived from the Royal Navy inviting him to be the official naturalist on a voyage around the world on H.M.S. Beagle. He accepted and his destiny was sealed. Darwin's Theology and His Theory of Evolution. On the five-year voyage on the Beagle Darwin's abilities in natural history became apparent. The large collections of specimens of rocks, fossils, plants, fish, marine invertebrates, insects, birds and land animals which he sent back to England made him famous before his return. Shortly after his return to England in December, 1836, Charles moved to London to arrange for the proper use of his specimens and write several books about his observations.

He was also reading voraciously, seeking support for his ideas about evolution. Mostly between 1837 and 1840 he filled a number of notebooks with his private brain storming speculations about geology and evolution. Within five months of debarking from the Beagle Darwin had written down his espousal of the theory of evolution of all species. Those early notebooks contained the germinal ideas for most of his research and writing for the next forty years. His Notebooks also reveal his theological views in those early years from 1837 to 1840. The Creator God of the Bible is discarded, man is degraded to an evolved animal and his mind, thoughts, religion, emotions, language and facial expressions are made into products of evolution. The philosophy of materialism is enthusiastically embraced and human freedom of the will is repudiated. By 1842 Darwin wrote out a lengthy essay in which he gave a detailed summary of his theory of evolution. Darwin's Duplicity and Opportunism. During the five years on the Beagle Darwin was a close companion of Captain Robert FitzRoy. FitzRoy was an opinionated conservative Anglican.

It is interesting indeed that on the long voyage young Charles maintained a reputation for being a biblical literalist. Yet as we have seen, after only five months or less off the ship Darwin had written down some of his basic ideas on evolution and his repudiation of the God of the Bible.It is incredible that his thinking could have undergone total transformation from biblical literalism in that short time. No, on board ship he must have acted like an orthodox Christian in order to please his opinionated captain. In the period from 1837 to 1840 Charles Darwin's reputation was rising, promoted especially by Adam Sedgwick who sponsored him in the Royal Society. Yet to Sedgwick evolution was an abomination, so Charles had to keep his chief love absolutely to himself. In one of his notebooks he wrote out a verbal strategy he could use to conceal his belief in evolution. If Sedgwick had guessed what his young protege was thinking, Darwin's career would have suffered a severe setback. Yet he yearned to tell his associates about his theory. It was during this time of great inner stress before 1840 that he began to suffer from severe headaches and stomach trouble.

Darwin kept his ideas from general circulation for some years until his reputation in the scientific community was established. Nevertheless, he delayed publication of the Origin of Species for 17 years, offering in that book only a few hints on the subject of human evolution. He delayed the publication of his book on The Descent of Man another 12 years until 1871. Always the consummate social and political strategist, he waited for decades for the right intellectual and religious atmosphere and political climate to develop which would assure his victory when his infamous book, The Origin of Species, was published in November, 1859. When another naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, in 1858 sent Darwin a short essay outlining the essence of Darwin's own theory, his hand was forced. An arrangement was made for joint credit to be given the two men, but Darwin wrote the definitive book. In the fifteen months of the crash writing project, Darwin's illnesses all converged on him. He could scarcely write twenty minutes without excruciating stomach pains, and he suffered from violent headaches and vomiting. During the two weeks when the book was being printed and bound for sale, Charles was undergoing treatment in the hydropathic clinic at Ilkley.

In a letter to fellow scientist J.S. Dalton he wrote: "I have been very bad lately; having had an awful 'crisis' one leg swelled like elephantiasis--eyes almost closed up--covered with a rash & fiery Boils...it was like living in hell." Could it be that God was trying to tell Darwin something? He would not listen. A lost soul ruled by satanic power, he had to be a man of iron will wholly given over to a consuming vision. Darwin's Hidden Agenda for Science. There is no evidence in all of Charles Darwin's published correspondence and writings that he ever embraced biblical Christianity. As we have seen, virtually all the formative influences on his thinking were contrary to Christian faith. He always concealed his rejection of Christianity, but in his 1876 Autobiography he stated his unbelief in very blunt, even crude words. His closest scientific associates were all men who had given up biblical Christian faith, and some of them were committed enemies of the faith. For example, Sir Charles Lyell, the father of modern geology, was determined to discredit the biblical record of earth history, and Charles' "bulldog," anatomist T.H.

Huxley, wrote that he was "sharpening [his] claws," ready to "disembowel" any clergymen who criticized Darwin's Origin of Species. It is clear that Charles Darwin's hidden agenda for science was to drive out of the thinking of all scientists any concept of divine special creation, divine intervention into the world, and divine teleology (purpose, plan or goal) in the natural world. This amounts to redefining science wrongly to make it an automatic weapon against Christian faith. Darwin's theory has often been criticized by secular scientists, but his agenda for science has long enjoyed universal success in the secular establishment. The Responsibility of Christians We Christians must as a part of our faith boldly reassert the Lordship of Jesus Christ over all things, including science. If the Lord Jesus delays His coming, those whom God calls to serve Him in science, education or other fields of scholarship must labor to get science correctly redefined. We must, in the name of truth and correct science, demand a level playing field so that all kinds of believers or unbelievers may work in science. Thus all will have the opportunity to demonstrate by the quality of their work the value for science of their faith or non-faith.

The persecution of Christians in the scientific-educational-scholarly establishment because of their faith must be stopped. Christians must be free to glorify their God and Redeemer in all areas of endeavor. Especially this is so wherever tax dollars are involved. BBC - History - Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882) Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882) Throughout 2009, the BBC is celebrating the life and work of Charles Darwin with a variety of special programmes. Find out more at bbc.co.uk/darwin . Charles Darwin ��� Darwin was a British scientist who laid the foundations of the theory of evolution and transformed the way we think about the natural world. Charles Robert Darwin was born on 12 February 1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire into a wealthy and well-connected family. His maternal grandfather was china manufacturer Josiah Wedgwood, while his paternal grandfather was Erasmus Darwin, one of the leading intellectuals of 18th century England. Darwin himself initially planned to follow a medical career, and studied at Edinburgh University but later switched to divinity at Cambridge.

In 1831, he joined a five year scientific expedition on the survey ship HMS Beagle. At this time, most Europeans believed that the world was created by God in seven days as described in the bible. On the voyage, Darwin read Lyell's 'Principles of Geology' which suggested that the fossils found in rocks were actually evidence of animals that had lived many thousands or millions of years ago. Lyell's argument was reinforced in Darwin's own mind by the rich variety of animal life and the geological features he saw during his voyage. The breakthrough in his ideas came in the Galapagos Islands, 500 miles west of South America. Darwin noticed that each island supported its own form of finch which were closely related but differed in important ways. On his return to England in 1836, Darwin tried to solve the riddles of these observations and the puzzle of how species evolve. Influenced by the ideas of Malthus, he proposed a theory of evolution occurring by the process of natural selection. The animals (or plants) best suited to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on the characteristics which helped them survive to their offspring. Gradually, the species changes over time.

Darwin worked on his theory for 20 years. After learning that another naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, had developed similar ideas, the two made a joint announcement of their discovery in 1858. In 1859 Darwin published 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection'. The book was extremely controversial, because the logical extension of Darwin's theory was that homo sapiens was simply another form of animal. It made it seem possible that even people might just have evolved - quite possibly from apes - and destroyed the prevailing orthodoxy on how the world was created. Darwin was vehemently attacked, particularly by the Church. However, his ideas soon gained currency and have become the new orthodoxy. Darwin died on 19 April 1882 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. darwin - pl99323 darwin Charles Darwin 1809 - 1882 Charles Darwin was born February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. He died April 19, 1882 in Downe, Kent, England.

He is most renowned for creating the definitive version of the theory of evolution by natural selection. This provides a reasonable explanation for the origin of species, making it unnecessary to posit the magical machinations of a divine creator. The challenge presented to religion by Darwin's theory of evolution makes it one of the most important, fruitful, and dangerous ideas put forward by any man. But Darwin's life is remarkable in other ways. For instance, the inspiration for his theory came from a voyage of discovery comparable to those undertaken by Columbus or Magellan. Also, his personal qualities are admirable. His life illustrates that you do not need to believe in the Christian myths to be a good human being. Early life and University Charles Darwin was fortunate to be born into a rich family. The necessity of earning a living was never to be his lot. He was the son of Robert Darwin, a rich society doctor, and Susannah Wedgwood, the daughter of the famous pottery industrialist Josiah Wedgwood. Darwin's other grandfather was the famous intellectual Erasmus Darwin. But being rich did not save him from the trials of the British public school system.

Lamarck's Philosiophie Zoologique (1809) was a significant influence on Darwin, but had major flaws. It was marred by the assumption that the Earth was only a few thousand years old, but its major error was assuming that characteristics acquired in a lifetime could be inherited. Charles hated the rote learning of Classics that was imposed on him at Shrewsbury public school between 1818 and 1825, and he was made fun of by teachers and pupils for his interest in chemistry. Somehow, he managed to retain his fascination with science, and went up to Edinburgh to study medicine. Darwin dropped out of Edinburgh in 1827 and enrolled in Christ College, Cambridge University, studying to be a clergyman in the Church of England. Charles earned his Bachelor's Degree in Theology in 1831. During his tenure as a student at Cambridge, Darwin befriended botanist and mineralogist John Stevens Henslow, one of his professors. It was Henslow who recommended Darwin to Captain Robert FitzRoy of the HMS Beagle, who was in need of a naturalist.

In August of 1831, Darwin received an invitation to serve as naturalist aboard the Beagle. Darwin accepted and set sail on a fateful five year voyage (1831-36). The Voyage of the Beagle Before Darwin set sail, Henslow recommended that he take Sir Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology, Being an Attempt to Explain the Former Changes of the Earth's Surface, by Reference to Causes Now in Operation (1830-1833, a three volume work). Henslow advised Darwin, "By all means read it for the facts, but on no account believe the wild theories." Darwin took the first volume of Principles of Geology with him on his voyage and he had the second mailed to him while he was at sea. Lyell's book did two things in Darwin's mind. First, it undermined the Bible's Genesis account (Lyell's work was diametrically opposed to the Biblical account). Second, it gave Darwin the time scale necessary to accommodate the idea that all life had evolved gradually. And so, Darwin, who began as a minister in the Church of England, ended up one of its most influential opponents.

Lyell's Principles of Geology, with its geologic timescale, was his turning point. The voyage of the Beagle brought the survey ship HMS Beagle under captain Robert FitzRoy to the Galápagos on September 15, 1835 to survey approaches to harbors. The captain and others on board including his companion the young naturalist Charles Darwin made a scientific study of geology and biology on four of the thirteen islands before they left on October 20 to continue on their round-the-world expedition. Darwin noticed that mockingbirds differed between islands, and the governor of the prison colony on Charles Island told him that tortoises differed from island to island. Towards the end of the voyage Darwin speculated that these facts might "undermine the stability of Species". When specimens of birds were analyzed on his return to England it was found that many apparently different kinds of birds were species of finches which were also unique to islands. These facts were crucial in Darwin's development of his theory of natural selection explaining evolution, which was presented in The Origin of Species Darwin loved adventure and performed his responsibilities assiduously.

He collected many specimens of insects, flowers and lizards in South America and his notebook was full of impressive detail concerning the biology of many different species. After many stops along the coast of South America, Darwin and the Beagle arrived in the Galapagos. It had taken three and half years to reach these far-flung islands, lying hundreds of miles off the west coast of Ecuador. Their amazing variety of flora and fauna were to captivate Darwin for the rest of his life. The Galapagos islands were uninhabited and appeared very strange to the first time visitor. Besides the multitudinous variety of differing species, the animals were amazingly docile. For instance, Darwin was able to saunter up to a hawk and touch it with his gun barrel. These magnificent islands, convinced him to continue his study of biology for the rest of his life. The Origin of Species Charles Darwin returned to England in 1836. In 1839, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and, five days later, married Emma Wedgwood, who bore him 10 children during their long marriage. In 1842, Darwin began drafting his Origin of Species.

Darwin's work was not only heavily influenced by Lyell's seminal work, but also by Thomas Malthus' An Essay on the Principle of Population (1798). Origin of Species was ultimately published in 1859. In his Origin of Species, Darwin proposed natural selection as the mechanism by which all life could have descended from a common ancestor. He described this slow and gradual process as "descent with modification". Darwin was forced into publication when he was sent an essay by Alfred Russell Wallace that proposed a theory of evolution identical to his own. He very generously agreed to a joint publication with Wallace, even though Darwin's work was far more substantial and had come about at an earlier date. But Wallace politely declined and published his own book, The Malay Archipelago. Darwin's book was a bestseller and caused a furor in intellectual circles. It had much support from the leading men of science, including Huxley and Lyell, but reactionary figures attempted to mount an opposition to it. At a meeting in 1860, Bishop Samuel Wilberforce asked Huxley on which side of the family he claimed descent from an ape.

Huxley replied he would rather have an ape for a grandfather than a man who tried to obscure important scientific discussion through religious prejudice and false rhetoric. For the rest of his life, Darwin was far from a gentleman of leisure. He spent his time supplementing the knowledge gained from the voyage of the Beagle with intense study, the writing of letters to experts, and the badgering of sailors and explorers for more information about strange creatures from distant lands. Darwin's later years Darwin retired to Down House (close to London) where he became somewhat of a recluse, using the house and grounds as a laboratory. In Down House, the correspondence of Charles Darwin stretched to fourteen thousand letters. These mostly contained closely argued disputations with scientist friends like Thomas Huxley and Charles Lyell. But he also sought help from those involved in practical animal husbandry, like pigeon fanciers. In his spare time, Darwin bred pigeons, grew seeds, observed bees, tracked earthworms, and contemplated the mysteries of the universe. In 1871 Darwin published his next book entitled The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex .

Although Darwin did not coin the phrase "survival of the fittest" (that was Herbert Spencer's idea) many incorrectly associated the theory of evolution with capitalism and socialism. In 1872 Darwin expanded the theory of evolution to give an account of the development of emotions. In The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals(1872) he showed the continuity of emotions and expressions between humans and animals. Throughout the 1870s, at the height of his fame, Darwin was ever thoughtful about his family, friends, colleagues and supposed competitors. He raised money to send his fatigued "bulldog", T.H. Huxley, on holiday. His pestering led to the cash-strapped Wallace being added to the Civil List. The Harvard philosopher John Fiske, visited him in Down House and found him “the dearest, sweetest, loveliest old grandpa that ever was.” During this time Darwin composed an autobiography for his grandchildren, but not for publication. It stressed his dislike for many Christian myths, especially those involving eternal torment. But when people asked about his religious beliefs, he replied that he was an agnostic.

His final work, reflecting his modesty as much as his greatness, was The Formation of Vegetable Mould, Through the Action of Worms (1881). It gave an account of the transformation of vast landscapes by humble creatures, reflecting his own monumental transformation of the landscape of thought. He died of a heart attack on April 19, 1882. There would never be, Immanuel Kant assured his readers, a “Newton of a blade of grass.” Living things, he believed, are examples of “natural purposes,” entities organized so purposefully that we cannot explain them altogether through the blind causality we apply to inanimate nature. At the same time, Kant argues that if living beings are organized purposely, or on purpose, rather than just purposefully, we cannot know it. There seems to be something special about things that are alive that exempts them from Newtonian mastery. Something like this, although not quite in Kantian terms, has been the view of many natural historians, physicians, and comparative anatomists, as well as philosophers, in our tradition. Others, notably Descartes and his followers, as well as more recent “reductionist” thinkers, have denied that any such difference exists.

Yet even among those who stress the uniqueness of life, a number have appeared, at least implicitly, to welcome the accolade of “Newton of a blade of grass,” whether for themselves or others. Georges Cuvier seems to have been happy to assume that title, though it was animals, not plants, that he studied. Some thought Cuvier’s rival, Etienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire , more worthy of that honor. And of course many have since found that it was Charles Darwin who gave the study of life such a new and scientifically satisfying solution that he truly deserved the title “Newton of a blade of grass.” Charles Darwin Facts For Kids | The Greatest Naturalist Of All Time Home Personalities Charles Darwin Facts For Kids | The Greatest Naturalist Of All Time Charles Darwin was a British geologist and a naturalist. He is widely known around the world for his theory of evolution. He presented this theory in his book named “On the Origin of Species” in 1859. He developed his keen interest in natural life while still in his early years. The most famous journey of Charles Darwin was on his HMS Beagle. He started his journey on December 27, 1831 and returned after 5 years.

Now let’s have a look at some more Charles Darwin facts for kids. Charles Darwin Facts For Kids Full Name: Charles Robert Darwin Date of Birth: February 12, 1809 Place of Birth: Shrewsbury, United Kingdom Age: 73 Date of Death: April 19, 1882 Place of Death: Downe, Kent Family of Charles Darwin The name of the location in Shrewsbury where his family house is situated is called Mount House. The name of his father was Robert Darwin. He was a well-off medical doctor. The name of his mother was Susannah Darwin. He had one brother and four sisters. The name of his elder brother was Erasmus Darwin. He was 5 years older than Charles Darwin. The name of his grandfather was Erasmus Darwin. He was also a well-known naturalist, poet and physiologist of his time. He was also an abolitionist. The name of his maternal grandfather was Josiah Wedgwood. He too was a famous British potter and abolitionist of his time. His mother died in July 1817. Married Life of Charles Darwin The name of his wife was Emma Darwin.

She was Charles’ first cousin too and a very attractive and intelligent woman. Her original name was Emma Wedgwood. Darwin was 9 months younger than her. Darwin proposed his first cousin Emma on November 11, 1839. She both fell in love afterwards. Emma and Darwin got married in Maer on January 29, 1839. The name of his eldest daughter was Anne Elizabeth (Annie). She died on April 23, 1851 due to scarlet fever. She was only 10 years old at the time. Annie was very dear to Charles Darwin. When she died in 1851, Darwin felt so upset that he threw away his beliefs on Christianity and did not go to Church for a while. Early Years He was interested in natural history even when he joined a day school in 1817. He was only 8 years old at the time. The name of his teacher and friend in the early years of his life was Professor John Stevens Henslow. On January 4, 1837, he wrote his first article and presented it to the Geological Society of London.

He became a member of Council of Geological Society on February 17, 1837. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society on January 24, 1839. Final Years and Death His most famous book on theory of natural selection was published on November 24, 1859. The name of this book was ‘On the Origin of Species’. The doctors spotted a disease in Darwin’s heart in 1882. They called this disease ‘angina pectoris’. He breathed his last in the Down House on April 19, 1882. There are at least 120 species whose names are set after Charles Darwin. In London’s Natural History Museum, a magnificent statue of Charles Darwin is built to honor him. While on his second journey on Beagle, Charles Darwin came across 15 species of birds. Today, these species are named Darwin’s Finches. They are also known as Galápagos finches because Darwin discovered them in Galápagos Islands. TAGS

Question: Which British industrialist was the maternal grandfather of naturalist Charles Darwin?
Answer: Josiah Wedgewood