Darwin_-_Greatest_Idea

Is Darwin’s Idea of Natural Selection the Greatest Idea Ever' In Daniel Dennet’s book Darwin’s Dangerous Idea: Evolution and Meanings of Life, Dennet argues that the Darwinian processes are the single best idea ever had. While this statement is undoubtedly controversial, much truth surrounds it. Many may argue for the ideas brought to life by Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. However, none of these two geniuses’ concepts have proven to be so straightforward yet profound. Charles Darwin’s ideas of natural selection are the greatest concept because these ideas have brought together so much complexity into stunning simplicity. Darwin’s theories have unified social science and natural science by showing how purpose and design can rise from purposelessness. In order to fully appreciate the Darwinian processes, one must fully understand the theory of natural selection. The idea of natural selection is often misconceived as a process in which an organism changes its physical characteristics in response to its surroundings. However this is not entirely true. In order to make this idea clearer, I will first use the example of bacteria, one of the smallest living organisms on the planet with an extremely exciting and quick (compared to greater organisms) evolution. The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus lives on the skin of all of us. It is relatively harmless and even helps to prevent harmful bacteria from hurting us. Several years ago, though, a mutation in the normal S. aureus genome in just one bacterium occurred in which it made it no longer susceptible to the antibiotic Methicillin that is supposed to destroy it. Because this one bacterium with the mutation was not killed and was allowed to grow and divide and others around it were killed (because they did not have the mutation), this organism with the mutation became dominant and could now spread to other areas and other people. This organism is now known as Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. One important thing to note is that the mutation did not occur because it had to happen. It occurred spontaneously and was only allowed to become dominant because it was able to survive and pass on this mutation, while others without the mutation were killed by the antibiotic. This is natural selection. Now let us apply this idea to greater living organisms, such as animals. Each one has a very different DNA composition that makes it different from the next. And they are that way because their parents and their parents (and so on) all had very different DNA compositions from everyone else that combined and made an entirely new set of genes. These dissimilarities allow different animals to be more adapt to surviving in their environment than others. For example polar bears are distinguished from other bears because they have white fur. Thousands of years ago, bears living in the Arctic did not have entirely white fur. Suppose some had brown fur and others had white fur. The white fur would conceal the bear from its prey in the snowy Arctic, while the brown fur would not. Those bears with white fur then would be more likely to survive to reproductive age and be able to produce more offspring than those with brown fur. Therefore eventually white fur will become dominant. So what' Is this really such a great idea that it can be called the best idea anyone ever had' The suggestion seems so simple yet not one of the many geniuses before Darwin was able to outline it. It must be noted that before Darwin, most people believed that every living organism was made by God with purpose and design. For Darwin to set this central idea to the side and think differently about the evolution of life without prior knowledge of genetics was an accomplishment in itself. Even today this idea would be a triumph. For many people still do not believe in the idea of natural selection and still hold true to the belief that God created all creatures with rationale and intention. Most importantly, however, Darwin’s processes of natural selection explain the reason why every living organism is the way that it is. Natural selection can account for animals’ fur color and texture, humans’ skin color, songs of birds, necks of giraffes, the rise of resistance in infectious diseases, and so much more. Natural selection may even be able to elucidate the history of a particular organism based on its genotypic and phenotypic characteristics. Darwin’s ideas of natural selection are the greatest idea anyone ever had. His ideas have brought together many different complex aspects of science into one simple scheme. In short, the Darwinian processes explain the reason why every living creature is the way that it is, and no other idea can claim that.