Term Papers on Charles Darwin And Herbert Spencer

Term Paper Title	Charles Darwin And Herbert Spencer
# of Words	1239
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	4.96

Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer

     Charles Darwin, a British naturalist, revolutionized biology with his
theory of evolution through the process of natural selection.  Herbert Spencer
was the major philosopher of biological and social evolution.  Spencer's work
significantly influenced 19th century developments in biology, psychology,
sociology and anthropology.  While Darwin was influential in the fields of
natural history and geology, his theory of evolution created great controversy.
He changed the way people thought about the role of humans in the natural world.
Although these two men made advancement in the theory of evolution they had
contrasting views regarding anthropological study.
     Charles Darwin was an English naturalist who first solidly established
the theory of organic evolution, in his work, The Origin of Species.  Darwin was
born in Shresbury, Shropshire on February 12, 1809.  His grandfather, Erasmus
Darwin, was a famous English scientist and poet.  In 1825 the young Darwin went
to Edinburgh University to become a doctor.  The same year, however, he
transferred to Christ's College in Cambridge in order to become a clergyman.
During this time he befriended a man of science, John Steven Henslow.  It was
Henslow who recommended him for the unpaid position of naturalist on the H.M.S.
Beagle.
     Darwin set sail on December 27, 1831 to study the Pacific coast of South
America and the Pacific Islands.  His other duty was to set up navigation
stations in the area.  He also studied the geology and biology of these areas.
Upon his return in 1839, Darwin married his cousin, Emma Wedgewood, and was
admitted to the Royal Society.  He moved to Downe, Kent in 1842, and was plagued
by ill health until his death.  He apparently transmitted Trypanosomiastis from
frequent bug bites in the Pacific.  Darwin died on April 19, 1882 and was buried
in Westminster Abbey.
     In The Origin of Species, Darwin presented his idea that species evolve
from more primitive species through the process of natural selection, which
occurs spontaneously in nature.  In his theory of how natural selection occurs,
known as Darwinism, he pointed out that not all individuals of a species are
exactly the same.  But, rather that individuals have variations and that some of
these variations make their bearers better adapted to particular ecological
conditions.  He pointed out that most species have more chances of surviving and
producing young than do less adapted, and that over the passage of time, are
slowly weeded out.  The accumulation of adaptations to a particular ecological
system leads into the development of separate species, each adapted to its own
ecolgoical area.
     In 1837, Darwin began work on the concept that evolution is essentially
brought about by three principles.  The first being variation which is present
in all life forms.  However, he did not attempt to define it.  The second
principle is heredity, “ the conservative force which transmits similar organic
forms from one generation to another (2:57).”  Lastly, the struggle for
existence “determines which variations will survive in a given environment, thus
altering life through a selective death rate (2:57-58).”  He concluded that with
all three factors combined that life will alter slowly and unnoticeably.
     Herbert Spencer lived from 1820-1903.  An English philosopher who
advocated the importance of the individual over society and science over
religion.  He was born in Derby on April 27, 1820.  He declined an offer to
attend Cambridge, and his higher education was a result of reading, especially
about the natural sciences.  In 1848, he became subeditor of the Economist.  In
1851, he published Social Statistics, in which he argues in favor of an extreme
form of economic and social laissez faire and proceeded to call progress a
necessity.  In 1860 Spencer went to work on The Synthetic Philosophy, a
combination work including psychology, biology, sociology, and morality.
Spencer began writing a series of works called Descriptive ...

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