Task 4 - Darwinism

Question 1

Facts about the life of Darwin

Answer 1

• 1809 - 1882
• Investigated unknown species of plants and animals aboard the “beagle”
• Married his cousin

Question 2

What were the central results of Darwin’s voyage?

Answer 2

• Cross-fertilization

- Natural Selection

Question 3

What is meant with the concept of cross-fertilization?

Answer 3

Mixing different individuals of a species will result in more resistant offspring. -> Inbreeding is bad

Question 4

What are the most important aspects in Darwin’s book “Origin of Species”?

Answer 4

• About evolutionary theory

- actually doesn’t discuss human evolution, but his peers were quick to address this.

Question 5

Define the dilution problem

Answer 5

-> How can one variation make a difference in a species, if this variation will get more and more diluted with each generation?

Question 6

What was Darwin’s answer to the dilution problem?

Answer 6

• He partially agreed
• In defense of evolution, he added that not a single variant will cause a change in a species, but a changing environment will force the species as a whole to adapt.

Question 7

Name two central zeitgeist aspects that contributed to Darwin’s studies

Answer 7

• Classification of biological species was very popular at the time
• in 1735, Linnaeus assigned the human to the same class as primates

Question 8

What are two common misunderstandings about the evolutionary theory?

Answer 8

• Genes don’t really “react” to the environment. There are just random mutations and whenever one mutation is positive for survival, this will increase the chance of reproduction and thus spreading of the mutation.
• Organisms don’t necessarily become more complex over the course of evolution. (Look at jellyfish)

Question 9

What is the idea of intelligent design?

Answer 9

The idea, that the complex nature of the world can’t have been formed by evolution alone, but rather is a designed by some form of higher entity.

Question 10

What are the main arguments, and their names, that speak for the idea of intelligent design?

Answer 10

• Irreducible complexity: In a complex mechanism, if one part is removed, it stops working. So how can complex things like animals and humans have evolved?
• Specified complexity: The probability of things evolving the way they did is infinitely small.

Question 11

Who was Alfred R Wallace?

Answer 11

• Another scientist promoting a form of evolutionary theory during Darwin’s time.
• Studied flora and fauna in todays Indonesia
• Came up with the Wallace-Line
• of low socio-economic status
• His work didn’t receive much credit
• Tried to incorporate religion -> Said that human intelligence cannot have been the product of evolution. (-> Intelligent design)
• Argued that evolution would cause altruism and rationalism to spread

Question 12

Why did A.R. Wallace receive less credit than Darwin?

Answer 12

• timing (He was later and had to regather his data due to his ship sinking)
• religious tendencies
• not as “loud”
• low status

Question 13

What effect did Galton’s 1865 essay “Hereditary of Talent & Character” have?

Answer 13

He said the moral and personal traits are inherited.

-> Promoted calculated human breeding (Eugenics)

Question 14

What is Eugenics?

Answer 14

• Derived from Sir Francis Galton
• Social pseudoscience after which humans are either genetically “fit” or “unfit”
• Got adopted by Nazi Germany
• Promoted by Spencer