Darwin Publishes ‘On the Origin of Species’
By Milan Gregory Perera, Second Year English
Very few works have transcended the passage of time as far as Charles Darwin’s ‘On the Origin of Species’, so on its 162nd anniversary, The Bristorian explores the origins of this seminal work.
In 2015, the Academic Book of the Future project conducted a survey to whittle down the top 20 academic books that have changed the world from among 200 entries.
The stellar list consisted of titles such as The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking, The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir, and The Republic by Plato.
Indeed, the title that topped the bill was one published in 1859, the repercussions of which fundamentally altered the course of history. That book was On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin.
In 1831, Darwin, a dashing 22-year-old, was hired to be the on-board naturalist on the HMS Beagle, setting sail around South America. The young Darwin spent a considerable amount of time ashore collecting plant and animal specimens, poring over the plethora of material, and filling notebooks with his observations.
His Damascene conversion came as he was pondering over some of his observations from the Galapagos. Tectonic plate movement around the archipelago had made its younger islands arid and volcanic, while its older islands and mainland were rich with vegetation.
Darwin observed the physical appearances of finches across the islands. What struck Darwin was that while similar in body shape and size, the finches’ beaks differed vastly from island to island depending on their diet.
For example, the finches who fed on cacti had long pointed beaks so as not to get stuck in the succulent tropical plant. Yet those that fed on insects were equipped with slim, sharp beaks, while the seed crushing types had short and thick beaks.
The Galapagos finches helped Darwin postulate his idea of natural selection. For the favourable adaptations of the finches’ beaks had evolved for generations until they branched out to form new species.
Darwin’s finches are a classical example of an adaptive radiation. With the advantage of an up-to-date knowledge in palaeontology, it is said that their common ancestor arrived on the Galapagos about two million years ago. During that time the finches have evolved into 15 recognised species: differing in body size, beak shape and feeding behaviour.
Darwin arrived back in England in 1836 and over the next few years he would compare his findings with that of other natural scientists, meticulously reading their material, most notably that of Thomas Malthus.
Darwin’s reluctance to publish his thesis until 1859 was understandable. The freshly formulated theory regarding the origin of species would no doubt have set the cat amongst the pigeons, as the clergy and learned men of the church were in a reverie about the divine origin of humankind.
After the publication of On the Origin of Species on 24th November 1859, the status quo was irrevocably set asunder. It not only challenged the authority of the Church, but the country’s very social fabric. If the divine story can no longer be proven, it follows to ask what then is the basis of morality? Do we need to behave in a certain way to please the divine or is morality unwavering irrespective?
Darwin’s seminal work is steeped in rigorous observations and rational conclusions. It not only sheds light on our position in the universe, but importantly sparked a serious reappraisal of every facet of the human experience from history to natural science to society.
No wonder the eminent scientist and philosopher, Daniel Dennett recalled the Promethean phenomenon as “Darwin’s Dangerous Idea.”
Darwin in the Galapagos, with the HMS Beagle in the background.