Essays on Theory Of Evolution

Human beings are unique in their quest to understand the origin of life, and the urge rationalize nature and the world that surrounds them. We have developed various disciplines to better understand the natural world around us (Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology) and ourselves (Psychology, Physiology etc.). Anthropology is a discipline that tries to understand what it means to be human by looking at biological, evolutionary, cultural, and linguistic aspects. The word “Anthropology” is derived from Greek “Anthropos” meaning human and “Logos” meaning word(Lewis, Jurmain, & Kilgore, 2012). There are four major subfields of anthropology viz., biological, archeological, linguistic and ...

The purpose of this paper is to review the article, “Was Darwin Wrong?”, by David Quammen (2004) and to offer some discussion at the end of the paper. The main thrust of the Quammen’s article is to provide a description of the current and past evidence that supports Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection. With a few exceptions, the title of the article is answered with a firm “no, Darwin was right.” Quammen first began with a discussion of the concept of theory and explained that a theory is an explanation for a set of circumstances ...

[Class Title] The human species is believed to have come from hominids, a member of the primate family where the human species is believed to have originated from after a lengthy process of evolution. The Anne and Bernard Spitzer Hall of Human Origins present this unique history of human evolution through fossils. The exhibition covers millions of years of human evolution presented through innovative displays. One of its notable exhibits is the famous ‘Lucy’ skeleton, which was unearthed in Ethiopia by a joint American and French paleoanthropologist team sometime in 1974. The museum also showed partial skulls of the ‘ ...

Scientists, the world over, have a common belief that over 90% of earth’s species have become extinct over the last three billion years that the planet has supported life . It is estimated that there have been at least five mass extinctions spread over millions of years at a time. The latest known mass extinction was towards the end of the Cretaceous period. It is most likely so well known because, the event which occurred over 65 million years ago, caused the end of the dinosaurs. Although in terms of the scale it was smaller than the previous four, ...

There is a significant debate between many experts about the origins of the universe and the explanations as to why humanity is the way it is. Three of the main channels for this are religion, philosophy, and science. Science is by far the most important approach to understanding how the world works. It is the most understandable, solid explanation for the answers that many people seek. It explains why the world was created, how humans, plants, and animals came to be, and why people are hardwired to do the things that they do. Everything is explained within a discipline ...

) The text’s author suggests that Charles Darwin, author of the theory of evolution, actually possessed a romantic view of nature. If this so, what do the passages from The Origin of Species on page 212-3 tells us about what Charles Darwin (and Romantics in general) may have thought of nature. Gloria Fiero indeed suggests that Charles Darwin had a romantic view of nature. Before he authored the revolutionary but controversial theory of evolution, he had been exploring South America to the Pacific Ocean for a research on fossil. In his voyage, he had an intimate eye on every ...

The third chapter of the book “The Age of American Unreason” written by Susan Jacoby explains the preconditions and consequences of the appearance of social Darwinian theory in the end of 19th century. The recent developments such as the end of Civil War affected the rearrangement of United States of America. It is worth to mention that in general country was rising after years of poverty and depression, it was paid much attention to the level of education and its quality, and the industries were developing very fast. As a result, America got their first millionaires who were skillfully ...

Part 1 Video Critique

In the first part of this assignment, the video chosen to do the critique is an Amateur video of the anatomy of the Archaeopteryx (http://bit.ly/1vImeVp). The Archaeopteryx was an animal that lived about 150 million years ago, in the late Jurassic period. The video starts with several images of various fossils of Archaeopteryx. The narrator begins by citing Darwin’s theory of evolution and states that this theory “predicted that we could find fossils of intermediate forms: creatures that bridge the gaps between modern species”. Then, the narrator introduces the Archaeopteryx, and points out that this animal “ ...

Abstract

The following article is a task paper that requires answering enlisted questions and draw inferences from the facts to answer the questions. This article aims at a better understanding of aspects of women’s psychology through answers to the questions asked.

Discussion

Q. Define and discuss access discrimination that women face in the workplace. Compare the experiences of men and women with respect to the glass ceiling, sticky floor and glass escalator. A. Women face many forms of discriminations at workplaces which include substantial pay bias between women and men working on equivalent duties, gender oriented abuse and ill-treatment of women. The ...

Religion and spirituality is evident in the nature of mankind. Many, if not all, persons and communities has the sense of deity and morality. However, there are many religious groups and beliefs around the world. Some of these are renowned, while some are not. In the Eastern societies, some widely accepted and observed religions include Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. In the Western societies, however, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are prominent. As a moral being, a person cannot accept or rather take part of a particular religion without conscious consideration. Holding on to a certain belief simply because of culture or family preferences is ...

The natural selection is regarded as the principle central to the theory of evolution. It can be defined as the process in which the species adapt to the environment in order to survive. In addition, natural selection leads to evolution when certain species with greater survival probability reproduce and pass on their genetic characteristics to the next generation of species. This grand theory of evolution is simple yet greatly misunderstood. In order to get a bigger picture of what theory is all about, imagine specie of beetles that comes in red and brown. Both of the beetle variety exists in ...

The Professor's name

Racism is a name for an ideology that considers the race as a milestone for a society, meaning that by belonging to one race, one's position in a society is determined. Racism is sometimes defined as a belief that certain races are superior or inferior in relation with each other. Based on this definition, racism can be defined as racial intolerance. Even though, racism existed in different forms is the past, it proliferated as a separate ideology in the nineteenth century under the influence of progress in the natural sciences which gave a solid base for a scientific background. The most famous example is the anthropologists’ attempt ...

Introduction

Evolution is the change animals and species undergo over time to adapt to certain environmental changes and eventually produce multiple descendent species. Evolution and natural selection are often taken as complimentary to each other. However, evolution, by definition, is a historical process of change, while natural selection is merely a mechanism that results in this change. Advances in technology and biology has thrown light on several causes and consequences of evolution. Some of the deepest understandings of evolution come from understanding fossils and examining phylogeny and from the study of natural selection. Evidences suggest that when natural selection is strong, the rate ...

It is a shame that books like Jerry A. Conye’s best-selling book Why Evolution is True (2009) is necessary for the twenty-first century. After all, Charles Darwin wrote his groundbreaking work On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was published in 1859. Since its publication many other scientific discoveries have been made to support Darwin’s dangerous idea. Evolution should not be a controversial issue and sadly it remains so even in the most educated countries of the world. Part of the controversy could be because many people who oppose evolution have no idea what evolution is. ...

I. Introduction In this research paper, the relationship between science and religion is examined in terms of the potential for a harmonious coexistence. This is an old debate and currently it is a vitally significant one. The view of science and religion as warring enemies has historic roots. The Catholic Inquisition was known to persecute and execute people considered heretics because of their belief in science and scientific things. The Church found science as an explanation offensive. Galileo Galilei is one of the most well known of the victims of the Inquisition. He was imprisoned and forced to do penance ...

Charles Darwin published his masterpiece detailing his theory of evolution by natural selection, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life in 1859. Despite the overwhelming consensus of the scientific community, there are still loud and politically active Creationists that insist that the earth is less than 10,000 years old because the Bible says so. However, the Bible never actually states how old the universe or the earth is. Belief that there is a Creator and in the theory of evolution are compatible for followers of ...

It appears that McCloskey is trying to support and substantiate his case for atheism by adopting a very narrow and objective approach. The usage of terms like “proof” for different school of arguments indicates that McCloskey is keen to give a sense of finality to a very complex question by attempting to debunk the thought process behind the arguments that has been labeled as proof. Human mind has its own limitations. This universe is very complex and infinite. There are a lot of things which are beyond the comprehension of human mind. The question of existence of god is one such question that ...

There are a lot of famous and unfamiliar names that can be associated with the field of naturalism. A naturalist is someone who is considered to be an expert in natural history and that his or her expertise is practiced and applied through the course of art or literature (Loudon). One of the most famous naturalists in the world is Charles Darwin, who we know as the father of Evolution. Additionally, some of the famous naturalists are George Culver, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Joy Adamson, Alexander Von Humboldt, Henry David Thoreau, Steve Irwin and Alfred Russell Wallace. This paper will discuss the ...

Abstract

Theory of evolution as proposed by Darwin has for long hinged on the fossil records to prove the process of evolution. However, the prevalent gaps in the fossils led way to the development of the punctuated equilibrium theory that was proposed by Eldredge and Gould as an alternative to Darwin’s phyletic gradualism theory. The punctuated equilibrium postulated that speciation occurs in an isolated peripheral subsect of population as a rapid change after a period of stasis. Unlike the anagenetic speciation of phyletic gradualism, punctuated equilibrium promotes the concept of cladogenetic speciation. However, punctuated equilibrium does consider rapid anagenetic speciation as a ...

Independent Research

Independent Research Education is the process through which organized knowledge is passed from one generation to the other. The passing of knowledge occurs through teaching, research or can happen through guidance from educational specialist. Education is a basic right recognized by the international convention on Economic, social and cultural rights. Most governments in the world have recognized the need for education. Education is compulsory in most jurisdictions, unlike the schooling. Schooling in western countries is not compulsory. The need to go to a classroom and get instructions from a tutor has been replaced by e-learning. E-learning creates a virtual learning environment ...

- THE OCENTRIC PERIOD: - 500BCE – 0 - Middle Age – Byzantium - ARISTOCRATIC PERIOD: - Renaissance (1450-1550) - The Age of Enlightenment (1550-1789)

IDEAS AND THOUGHT

RESEARCH JOURNAL I. OCENTRIC PERIOD: 1. 500BCE – 0:

Ancient and modern have the following characteristics: - Art was not the beauty residence: it is not the definition of beauty with art. - Reasoning about art theory and beauty developed independently of each other.

Socrates

Socrates was born in Athens in 470 BC. His father, Sofroniks, was a stonemason and his mother a midwife. From his father, Socrates learned the craft ...

THE SCOPES TRIAL

The scopes trial is also famously known as the scopes monkey trial and was a trial which involved the state of Tennessee against John Thomas Scopes. The charge against scopes was teaching evolution. Apparently back in 1925 it was illegal to teach anything about evolution in schools that were funded by the state. Back then people believed in the divinity of the bible. Anything in the bible was considered truth that was incontestable by any human being irrespective of the evidence at hand. Teaching evolution was tantamount to blasphemy against morally accepted truths by the people. The Buttler act made ...

The VCR

Introduction People are generally image conscious and they try to adopt the new technologies, fads and the trends of the society to associate themselves with a desired class of people. With the introduction of DVD in the consumer market during the beginning of the new millennium, people were inclined to adopt this technology to depict their tech-savvy and cool image, which in turns proved to be the beginning of VCR’s death. Videocassette Recorder (VCR), which was once the most favorite gadget amongst the consumers, is now no more relevant in the current technological context. A general belief is ...

In an age of scientific advancement, it is easy to take for granted a number of widely-held facts and theories that have been largely substantiated by scientific inquiry. One of these fundamental theories is the theory of evolution-- much of science and medicine is built upon the foundation of evolutionary theory. Without an understanding of evolutionary theory, modern medicine would not have advanced to the point that it has; humanity's ability to produce vaccines and do work on genetic diseases and stem cells would be severely curtailed, if not impaired entirely. Indeed, without Darwin's introduction of evolutionary theory, humanity's understanding ...

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Introduction: The debate of how the world came into being is almost as old as the world itself. There are two different sides of the story each having its own reasons. These two belief systems are extremely different from each other and are based on complete opposite theories. Although there is no proven way to end this debate, but some facts line up and the others don’t.

What is the Creation Theory?

The people who believe in the theory of creation, Creationists, have a belief that the world, and ...

After his graduation from Cambridge University in 1831, Charles Darwin developed deep enthusiasm in biology and consequently embarked on a mission to investigate the origin of species (Quammen, 2006). Several years later, after conducting extensive research, he came up with the theory of evolution which mainly suggests that organisms evolved from simple forms to their present complex forms. He proposed several theories that sought to explain how the process of evolution took place. The process of natural selection is one of them. This theory suggests that nature selects a variety of species that are suitable for survival and reproduction in a particular ...

This paper briefly discusses several concepts pertaining to evolution, particularly the four forces of evolution. Although Charles Darwin and his Origin of the Species published in 1859 has been the most popularly known work about the theory of evolution, Russell Wallace and Carolus Linnaues had earlier discoveries that contributed to the development of the theory of evolution (Grolier, 159). Evolution is “the process by which all living things have developed from primitive organisms through changes occurring over billions of years” (Grolier, 159). There are four forces responsible for evolution. According to Prins, Walrath, & McBride (27), these are gene ...

Phylogenetic family tree is characterized by the lineage through which the present man originated from. The origin of the humans emanated from a single common ancestor through a transition process that culminated into the present man. The tree starts with a common ancestor then branches of to different species as time passed by. The phylogenetic family tree takes the form of evolution where there is a common shared ancestor. The report explores the sequence of events that led to the existence of the modern man (Futuyma 84). The human evolution forms the basis of origination of all human beings on earth. The ...

Phylogenetic family tree is characterized by the lineage through which the present man originated from. The origin of the humans emanated from a single common ancestor through a transition process that culminated into the present man. The tree starts with a common ancestor then branches of to different species as time passed by. The phylogenetic family tree takes the form of evolution where there is a common shared ancestor. The report explores the sequence of events that led to the existence of the modern man (Futuyma 84). The human evolution forms the basis of origination of all human beings on earth. The ...

Over the years, science and religion have been presented as diabolically opposed to each other, but this does not always have to be the case. Nonetheless, it is important to study scientific processes independently. Broadly speaking, science is a body of knowledge which involves the systematic study and interpretation of natural and physical phenomena. One of the interesting things about science is that there is always something new to learn; therefore, science is not static. People who are immersed in the study and development of one or more sciences are known as scientists. Scientists are human beings, with the same ...

Recently, more and more biologists, biochemists, and other scientists subject the theory of evolution to certain criticism (Larson & Numbers, 2012). More and more scientists start to reject the theory of evolution as the only one that is possible, and get inclined to the idea of ​​an intelligent creator of life, based on the discoveries of the last 40 years. Thus, it is important to understand the controversy between the theories of creation and evolution as it exists in schools. Within the second period molecules were made from atoms, from molecules - compounds. Thus, the second "day" in the ...

Introduction

The creation theory is vividly explained in the first book of the bible. Through a keen eye, one cannot help but see the contradiction from the two chapters. Chapter one of genesis adduces that human beings were created after all the animals. Chapter one of the book of Genesis also contends that man and woman were created simultaneously. In utter contradiction, chapter two of the same book, Genesis, offers that the first man was created before the animals. The chapter also adds that the first woman was created from the man’s rib after the animals were created. The Mayan ...

In the second half of the 19th century, it is said that Darwin and Marx played a pivotal role for the fall of communism. Their scientific ideas as well as those of evolution shaped the understanding of man in different ways. Marx is very popular for his scientific and philosophic ideas and Darwin majored in the study of evolution in order to explain some of the observations in plant and animal species. Marx is said to have discovered the propelling force which was the source of social development. These two individuals tried to explain and give theories of the great ...

“This is a book about the positive evidence that evolution is a fact. It is not intended as an anti-religious book. I’ve done that, it’s another T-shirt, this is not the place to wear it again,” says Dr. Richard Dawkins in the introduction to his book The Greatest Show on Earth (17). This book is an organized presentation of copious numbers of the examples that support the evolutionary change over time via the process of natural selection. It raises many issues to a reader’s mind, and it helps provide a fuller understanding of the theory of evolution for the reader. ...

The development of science (including the theory of evolution and cosmology) has tried to challenge the design argument in a number of ways. This paper will entirely look at some of the ways in which the theory of evolution has challenged design argument. The paper will use Charles Darwin theory of evolution to show how evolution theories have challenged the design argument Charles Darwin is one of the people who come up with several theories. One challenge of the design argument has come from the theory of evolution that was proposed by Charles Darwin in 19th century. This theory ...

ABSTRACT

Theory of Evolution gained popularity in the past but has been rejected by many scholarly figures today. This paper focuses on this theory especially in case of Egyptian black. Comprehensive interviews were taken from four different persons resulting in useful information from each interviewee. This paper gives a detailed analysis of each interview in a logical manner so as to provide an in-depth information on the subject. The interviewees have shown their interest in the interview hence making it easy for the interviewer to ask more vivid questions to take out more information from them. These interviews form the basis of ...

Comparison between the cultural impact of Quantum physics to the reaction to the Theory of Natural Selection

This thesis shall be limited to the cultural impacts of Darwin’s theory of evolution especially in Europe and the United States of America. Initially, the western world believed that the world was created in six days by a supernatural being. Therefore, advancement of the theory of natural selection was widely accepted by the scientific community but vehemently rejected by the religious leaders. In addition to this, the theory had political implications in the essence that it advanced for socialism as a remedy for the challenges posed by capitalism. The theory highlighted the human wellbeing under the perspective of capitalism and ...

Over recent years, there has been much debate as to whether evolution rather than, or in addition to, creationism should be taught in public schools. There are many groups and individuals on both side of the argument. Interestingly, some scientists are in favour of the teaching of creationism, though the vast majority are not. Although it is generally agreed that there is no scientific fact to support the notion of creationism, many believe that it should be taught to students as an alternative viewpoint. However, evolution is scientifically proven and therefore all children in public schools should be taught ...

Introduction:

Understanding Russell’s theory of evolution must begin from the assessment of human activities as significant causative agents of evolutionary processes in all living things. History, according to the basic doctrine of this theory, is simply a manifestation of evolutionary processes in a sequential manner across time and space. Development, progress, and the perishing of plant and animal species are conceptualized as observable forces of the role of evolution in historical processes.

Discussion:

One of the central arguments developed by Russell in his evolutionary theory is that human actions and activities can and do occasion evolution (Russell, 54). Some of the activities ...

Introduction

Genetic evolution refers to change(s) in inheritable traits occurring across succeeding generation of organisms. The change (evolution) is responsible for the diversity at all levels including the molecular level e.g. genetic variations, individual organisms in the same species (intra-species variations) and among species (interspecies variations). It is believed that all organisms emanated from common ancestry about 3.7 billion years ago and then evolved over time to the present biodiversity. Therefore all organisms have some shared traits at the morphological and molecular level with the species sharing a more recent ancestry having more similar traits. The process of evolution involves ...

Evolution – The Reality of Existence

This paper deals with two articles and two conversational scripts, each of which tries to emphasize the predominant role and the process of evolutionary development that dates back to our ancestors, and which cascades down to our own lives and plays a role in determining our current behavior and lifestyle. The first article titled Potential Evolutionary Role for Same-Sex Attraction (Association for Psychological Science, 2010), published in the Science Daily on Feb 4, 2010, tries to highlight the role of human evolution in promoting homosexuality amongst men. The article -- based on the research findings of two evolutionary psychologists, ...

Summary

Bilal Haq, a scientist from the National Science Foundation Arlingtion, Virginia encountered foraminifera on his trip to Qingdao in China. Foraminifera are small creatures that grow shells on their bodies. Their shells are varied and very diverse, as if they are created by visionary artists. Haq thought the foraminifera would make beautiful pieces of art and should be put on display. Haq’s fellow colleague from China, Zheng, agreed and put things into action by involving local craft workers. It resulted in a park for foraminifera since the end of 2009 and already a million people have visited (Larkins, 2012).

It is ...

EVOLUTION

Darwin’s evolutionary theory states that all living things originated from one ancestor, where then adaptation occurred through natural selection to the living things that are there today. According to Darwin, some minor genetic mutations were advantageous to the existence and survival of a species for instance if a species developed wings and learnt how to fly, that trait would be passed on to the offspring whose offspring would inherit the same trait and so on (Gould, 2002, p. 119). This theory suggests that all life is related, descending from one ancestor and undergoing genetic modifications for self preservation and survival. ...

Introduction

Evolution is a debatable topic. Many theories have emerged in support or against the theory of evolution. Evolution refers to the changes of characteristics in living organisms over time. Evolution is a scientific concept that seeks to explain theories and researches made on a variety of scientific models (Bowler, 2003, p.111). Evolution is a science that provides evidence for differences in inherited characteristics. Evolution brings the differentiation in living organisms. The debate on whether to include evolution as a topic of study in public schools is raging. It is a controversial subject in the religious, legal and scientific fields. There are various opinions that different ...

Abstract

The issue of whether creationism should be taught in schools is one of contention. Many people believe that as many people believe in creationism, it should therefore be part of education and, in particular, part of science lessons in schools. However, there is strong opposition to this, mainly with the argument that creationism is not based on scientific fact and therefore should not be part of a science lesson. Overall, it appears that creationism should be taught as a world view in religious education classes, but not in science subjects.

Over recent years, there has been much debate as to whether creationism ...

10. There is plenty of evidence of divine design on planet Earth. The intricacy of design and processes in the world is massive. When considering this, it is easy to see how it must have been ‘designed’ by an Higher Intelligence. However, Darwin’s theory of evolution explains the intricacies in the world without the need for a divine force.

11. The Design Argument claims that an Higher Intelligence exists which designed and created the Universe. Pre-Darwin, the Design theorists claimed that evidence for this was in the apparent design of nature. Following Darwin’s theory, the Design ...