Darwin Essay:

A Letter To A Friend

John Miller

Professor Philip Jenks

Forbidden Knowledge

12:30 – 1:45

Dear Chuck,

I have been studying “The Origin Of The Species,” by Charles Darwin in my Forbidden Knowledge class this term. Often through discussions of the material, I find myself thinking back to when we worked on, “Inherit The Wind,” and how impressionable that play was on us. I remember how the cast would hang out after rehearsals, grab a few beers, and talk about different things, sometimes even the topic of The Scopes Monkey Trial would come up. I cannot recall though, anyone ever mentioning anything on Darwin’s work though. I know you and I, we were not familiar with any of his work at all during the show. The reason I’m writing this is because of that. I’m hoping to share the information I have learned with you. I know religion is very important to you and I just want to stress, in this letter, that I am not trying to change your thoughts and opinions on creation versus evolution. I just wanted to enlighten you to the information I have learned.

In order to understand Darwin’s whole theory better, you have to have a good definition of the various terms he uses to explain the process. I found three terms in his writings that best support his argument. They are: Variability, Natural Selection, and Use and Disuse. I am going to explain how these three terms best fit into Darwin’s theory.

Variability, according to Darwin, is basically the individual differences found in a species. They are found in one of two ways: by frequently appearing in offspring from the same parents or presumably from being constantly observed in individuals of the same species all living in the same area (Darwin 40).

This trait relates to the theory of evolution by affording materials that will lead to the process of Natural Selection in various species. The differences that appear will, for the most part, affect areas of the species that are considered important parts. They have also been known, though at various times, to affect vital parts as well. Darwin cites as an example in his book on how a branching of nerves in a specific insect is a particular variable in the species (Darwin 40).

Natural Selection is defined in, “The Origin Of Species,” as, “The preservation of favourable variations and the rejection of injurious variations. The variations that are neither useful nor susceptible to injuries would remain in a state of flux (Darwin 70). A good example of this, in the human body, is the appendix. Scientists still don’t know what purpose it served at one point in time and why the human body no longer uses it.

Darwin also goes on to explain the power of Natural Selection over Man’s Selection. In his theory, he states, “Man can only act on external and visible characters: nature cares nothing for appearances, except in so far as they may be useful to any being. She can act on every internal organ, on every shade of constitutional difference, on the whole machinery of life. Man selects only for his own good; Nature only for that of the being which she tends. Every selected character is fully exercised by her; and the being is placed under well suited conditions of life (Darwin 71). Through this nature is able to effect every facet of the body, no matter how minute.

There are certain favorable circumstances that nature needed in order to successfully evolve a species over time. If nature does not take the necessary steps to ensure evolution, then the species may face extinction. These circumstances that increase the chances of Natural Selection are: Intercrossing, which keeps the members of the same species or variety, true or uniform in character, Isolation, which is, of course, keeping the species in a confined or isolated area. This scenario causes all individuals of the species to modify in the area at the same rate.

Use and Disuse is the act by where nature causes certain body parts and organs to be strengthened over a period of use or diminishes them from a period of disuse and that once the transformation has fully taken place, these modifications will be passed to the offspring. Darwin supports this by going into detail over how several different species of birds in a particular area have lost the ability to fly. This is due to the area that they live in having no predatory animals in the vicinity to prey on them (Darwin 114).

Please do not be misled by what I have written here. I’m not quite sure what to make of Darwin’s findings here. I find it hard to balance with what is written in the bible. Although there is no specific date mentioned in there on how long ago the world was created. It does also seem to me that there are passages here in there in the bible that could support this. Such as from 2 Peter 3:8. It states, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” I know that there has been an additional theory put out sometime in the last twenty or thirty years that combined both the theory of creationism and evolution. Some of Darwin’s arguments do seem as very valid points though.

I was interested, I must say, by the passage where Darwin explains the entire process of Natural Selection. I think his thoughts and hypothesis over various areas of the writing do have many valid points. I can easily see why this book caused such uproar and still does today in many areas of the United States. I can’t honestly see though why there shouldn’t have been any reason to not teach this in the schools at one point in time. After all, it is just merely a scientific explanation for how we got here. You know, as well as I do, that humanity has always been curious about where it is that we came from. Writing all this now makes me think of that passage from, “Inherit The Wind,” where the defense attorney, Henry Drummond, is questioning the prosecution, Thomas Brady, on the witness stand. And how much Drummond was railroading his questions through to Brady trying to convince him a little bit of the possibility of how we came to be here on earth. The part that really grabbed me was when Drummond began questioning Brady about the age of the rock that a scientific witness had brought in to enter in the defense as evidence. I can easily imagine from the Scopes Monkey Trial how much fervor this trial kicked up among the townspeople in Tennessee when it occurred. Anyway, I sent this to you also because I knew you would take a look at this with a fair and open mind and not pre-judge anything that would have been said in this letter without first finding out more information. I hope you have enjoyed what I have written. Take care!

Your friend,

John