Much has been said and written about the work of Charles
Darwin, much of it sadly based on misunderstanding of the scientific theory he
expounded. The truth is that what Darwin
spelled out in his ‘Origin of Species’ has stood the test of time and really is
our best explanation of the development of life on earth. The description of
evolution stands as one of the truly great advances in human understanding, and
stands alongside Einstein’s relativity and the works of the quantum physicists
for its resilience and relevance.
Nothing in Darwin’s
work is a comment on human society, or the relative worth of individuals in
that society. The work describes the life and survival of species, and does not
ascribe merit or blame for that life or to the survival or extinction of any
species.
The process
of evolution is simple, elegant and compelling. Every living species, including
our own, strives to meet two basic demands of life. These are the seeking of
nourishment, and the reproduction of itself. As the one thinking species, we
live far more complex lives than simply that of pursuing a meal and a mate. It
is surely true however that without these two things our finest achievements would
be no more than monuments to our passing.
The margins
for survival or extinction are quite small. We live in a dynamic and changing
environment, with varying pressures constantly at hand. Where these pressures
are incremental or rhythmic in form, a species has its best chance of survival.
For example, the constant background rhythms of the tides and the seasons form
selection pressures that are rarely catastrophic, but none the less influential.
A winter that is a little colder will not destroy a complete species, but will
allow the survival of those members that, perhaps by chance, cope best with the
colder season. This process will then have nudged the species in the direction
of favoring the cold survival trait. Future generations tend to inherit this
trait, since the survivors will breed next summer, those that did not survive
will never breed again.
Played out
over hundreds of millions of years, life adjusts, copes and explores the
possibilities. No species is perfect, but survival alone is itself a triumph. Life
on Earth is a breath taking panoply of diversity, complexity, magnificent
beauty and sometimes absurdity, where every niche has been explored and
occupied.
In the last paragraph of ‘Origin of
Species’ Darwin wrote ‘There is a
grandeur in this view of life’. We are part of that grandeur, and should feel
as one with all life on Earth.
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