Post-Darwinian Theories

Introduction

Charles Robert Darwin was a biologist and scientist from the United Kingdom who lived between 1809 and 1882. He completed his education at the University of Edinburgh in Cambridge. He taught us about the incredible variety of life on Earth and its beginnings, including our species.

The scientific community accepts the theory of evolution by natural selection, proposed by Charles Darwin, as the absolute truth that is readily available, given the enormous diversity of life on Earth. According to the hypothesis, the ‘fittest’ individual organisms—those with the best qualities for their environment—are more likely to survive and reproduce. These features are passed on to their kids.

Evolution

Evolution is defined in simple words as the change in the internal and external attributes or characteristic features of a species that occurs over several generations. This change is noticeable and inheritable from one generation to the next.

With evolution, primates gradually started displaying few noticeable physical characteristics, which enabled researchers to differentiate them from other known living species.

Post-Darwinian Theories of Evolution

Some post-Darwinian theories of evolution have helped us further shape our understanding of evolution.

Herbert Spencer’s Theory of the Survival of the Fittest

The philosopher Herbert Spencer began to propose his theory and ideas based on evolution before Charles Darwin’s work appeared in the field of chemistry. Spencer felt that the underlying physical principles of evolution require that all forms of advancement are dependent on the amount of hard work done and competition.

He stated that only a handful would survive this struggle, and attempting to rescue the weak goes against nature’s laws. According to this theory, attempts to help the most vulnerable members of society—for example, improving the living and working circumstances of the poorest individuals—were severely wrong. It ran the risk of obstructing the forces of evolution. To characterise evolution, Spencer coined the phrase “survival of the fittest”.

Thomas Huxley’s Theory of Evolution and Ethics

Thomas Huxley was dubbed ‘Darwin’s Bulldog’ because he supported the idea of evolution. However, Huxley opposed the idea that ‘social Darwinism’, or the betterment of society via the survival of the strongest, would result in a more positive future for the human race. 

Thomas Huxley also claimed through his theory that the Darwinian theory of evolution should not be fully embraced and preached. Still, it might be regulated to the advantage of society through the means or correct population management.

Robert Knox’s theory of The Races of Men

Robert Knox’s theory of The Races of Men suggested that the prevailing Western belief was that race was a key factor of culture, behaviour, and character. The Races of Men defined and assessed all human beings based on their race, claiming race was the essential determining element of behaviour and character.

Francis Galton’s Theory of Hereditary Genius

Before the theory of evolution, inheritance usually meant passing on riches, territory, name, and position. However, by the end of the nineteenth century, heredity had been recognized as a biological phenomenon. Although the notion of genes had not yet been formed, Darwin and others were always perplexed as to how traits might be handed down from parents to children. 

Francis Galton was a cousin of Charles Darwin, and he also stated that an individual inherits the physical and mental abilities and morals from his parents. He was a statistical approach pioneer who collected data on families. Thus, the theory of natural selection needed to be replaced with what he described as the theory of ‘rational selection’.

Modern Synthetic Theory of Evolution

The modern synthetic theory of evolution defines the term evolution as a genetic variation in the population that paves the way to the formation of a new species. It describes the contribution and roles of genetic differentiation, geographical and reproductive isolation, and natural selection.

Conclusion

The theories of evolution play a very important role in knowing the main aim and education-based concepts, foundation, and importance related to primate adaptation and evolution. These theories play an important role in the field of geology and history and nomadic research. Researchers today know about the human race and attributes of the human race due to the knowledge of these past evolution adaptations and theories that took place. The earlier human race was far behind the current human race in terms of characteristics and appearances. This article is all about the early theories of evolution that took place after the Darwinian Theory of Evolution.