Collegiate Times

Yesterday was the 200th birthday of Charles Robert Darwin, the man most credited with the formation of the theory of evolution.

While I wholeheartedly believe that evolution as a fact is indisputable, I often question the amount of credit given to Darwin, while every other evolutionary theorist has been not only overshadowed, but virtually forgotten.

First, it is unfortunately not common enough knowledge that Darwin did not, in fact, "discover" evolution. The general concept of evolution had been around for hundreds of years before Darwin's birth, and it began to play a significant and more credible role in science and philosophy during the 18th century.

In 1809, the year of Darwin's birth, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck published his "Philosophie Zoologique," and the first complete, broad and scientific theory of evolution.

Lamarck's theory centered on the transmutation of species, and while some of his ideas were outlandish, they created the foundation upon which all other evolutionary theories, including Darwin's, were established.

Lamarck declared that the living world had begun with the simplest and most basic organisms, which had grown increasingly complex through time, creating the natural world in which we live today. He believed evolution progresses in two ways: first, because of the natural and necessary need of all organisms to strive for greater complexity, and second, as a direct reaction to their environment.

Darwin, on the other hand, based his theory of evolution on the concept of natural selection, which contradicted Lamarck's concept of change as a reaction to environment.

Instead Darwin proposed species vary naturally and those with the qualities most equipped for their environment flourish and reproduce, passing their more fortunate characteristics to their offspring.

Eventually, these slight changes manifest in an entire evolved population.

In part because of the controversy he knew would result with the release of his ideas, Darwin took around 20 years to perfect his theory before publication.

In 1858, though he still felt unprepared, he received a letter from Alfred Russell Wallace that forced him into the spotlight.

Wallace had unknowingly generated the same theory that Darwin was working on, and sent him a paper he had written, asking for Darwin's opinion.

Fearing the publication of this paper would lead to his receiving no credit for his hard work, Darwin and Wallace produced a joint paper that proved both had in fact come up with the theory individually and separately, called "On the Tendency of Species to Form Varieties; and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection," presented to the Linnean Society in July of 1858. Thus, the theory of natural selection was presented to the public.

Surprisingly, this paper did not immediately arouse much attention or debate, and even the Linnean Society president later remarked that there had been no revolutionary scientific discoveries made during that year.

However, Darwin busily worked to finish his book, and in November 1859, On the Origin of Species was published, initially intended as only an abstract of his final work.

Though this book was far more controversial, the theory seemed similar to the one that had been lingering over the scientific community for quite some time. In fact, when Thomas Henry Huxley first read the ideas, his immediate reaction was, "How extremely stupid not to have thought of that!"

Though Charles Darwin is clearly a very accomplished and innovative man, I find it unfair that his name is not only known to almost every person worldwide, but highly revered, yet the names of equally able and inventive individuals such as Lamarck and Wallace remain unrecognized by a vast majority.

Happy birthday, Darwin, but also congratulations to all who have contributed to the progression of evolutionary theory.