Charles Darwin did not invent anything. He was the first person to voice the idea of evolution, which was mentioned in just one line in his book, On the Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races, published in November 1859.
This book concentrated on speciation and the divisions between species, but the one line that mentioned evolution caused furor and controversy, and there were many people, even highly educated people, who mocked him and derided his theories. He was considered to be a very great threat against the church because if his theories were true the whole notion of God creating the world in six days was completely undermined and the potential consequences of people no longer believing this were massive. As such, he was accused of being in league with the devil.
It is certainly true to say that Charles Darwin has been a major influence in our knowledge of life on earth and how it has evolved through natural selection and adapting to environmental influences.
In further works, Darwin demonstrated that the difference between humans and other animals is not one of species but of degrees. His relating humans and apes caused even more controversy and violent reactions, and he, and anyone who took him seriously, were ridiculed through fear and ignorance. No-one else, before or after Darwin has been able to account for the facts that he discovered, or to give viable explanations for them, other than the ones that he gave.
Even without his theories on evolution, Darwin's works have been astounding and the world has hugely benefited from them. His studies and writings in botany, geology, invertebrate zoology, biogeography, psychology and scientific travel still make him one of the most influential people in the history of science.
This book concentrated on speciation and the divisions between species, but the one line that mentioned evolution caused furor and controversy, and there were many people, even highly educated people, who mocked him and derided his theories. He was considered to be a very great threat against the church because if his theories were true the whole notion of God creating the world in six days was completely undermined and the potential consequences of people no longer believing this were massive. As such, he was accused of being in league with the devil.
It is certainly true to say that Charles Darwin has been a major influence in our knowledge of life on earth and how it has evolved through natural selection and adapting to environmental influences.
In further works, Darwin demonstrated that the difference between humans and other animals is not one of species but of degrees. His relating humans and apes caused even more controversy and violent reactions, and he, and anyone who took him seriously, were ridiculed through fear and ignorance. No-one else, before or after Darwin has been able to account for the facts that he discovered, or to give viable explanations for them, other than the ones that he gave.
Even without his theories on evolution, Darwin's works have been astounding and the world has hugely benefited from them. His studies and writings in botany, geology, invertebrate zoology, biogeography, psychology and scientific travel still make him one of the most influential people in the history of science.
