Uploaded by Khylle Gorospe

Essay in STS (College)

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Gorospe, Khylle Benedick J.
202110652
Bias = Minatozaki Sana < Charles Darwin
According to Charles Darwin, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most
intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” As we all know there are
no permanent things in life other than change. In 1859, Charles Darwin changed the way we perceived and
approached biology, religion and modern science. The main reason why I prefer the Darwinian revolution
instead of the other scientific revolution is mainly because I am much more interested in the different
potential inside of us humans and the organisms that surround us. The three revolutions are completely
different from one another as Copernican revolution revolves around physics and heliocentrism, the same
can be said with the Freudian revolution which then tackles the human mind which is psychology.
What exactly is evolution; which is the core of the Darwinian revolution? Charles Darwin proposed
the “Theory of Evolution” when he published The Origin of Species, it centers around natural selection.
Both Darwin and his scientific contemporary, Alfred Russell Wallace, proposed that evolution occurs due
to natural selection. Here it is stated that, organisms produce more offspring that are able to survive their
environment. Offspring’s which are more suitable and well equipped to survive, mature, and reproduce
once again. The weaker organisms produce less offspring thus the term natural selection as the weaker
organisms slowly and naturally dies out.
Charles Darwin’s theory and scientific revolution is where evolutionary biology began. He found
a new branch of the philosophy of science, a philosophy of biology. Before the branch of science became
fully developed, its concepts were all based on Darwinian concepts. He introduced history to science,
compared to chemistry and physics, evolutionary biology dwells into its nature and history. It encompasses
other fields of biology such as genetics, ecology, systematics, and paleontology. Darwinian concepts were
the core ideas which served as the foundation for this branch of science.
In modern science we have also developed genetic engineering. Genetic engineer, also known as
genetic modification, refers to the direct alteration or manipulation of DNA to change an organism in a
specific way. It is mainly used to enhance or modify the characteristics of an individual organism. Much
like evolutionary biology, it also thanks to the understanding of theory of evolution. Another main
contribution of the Darwinian revolution is the taxonomy of organisms. It is thanks to the understanding
that certain organisms are connected to one another but is slightly different due to mutations and evolutions
overtime we are currently able to classify organisms which further enhances our understanding towards
them.
In conclusion, the Darwinian revolution is much like the other two scientific revolution, it focuses
on a specific field of science. Through the findings of Charles Darwin our perception toward biology and
life itself has change throughout the centuries. And as they say, knowledge is power, it is through
understanding more about ourselves and our origins, we are able to progress as a community. The
Darwinian revolution showed us that we develop and evolve overtime therefore we should use this
knowledge to our advantage.
References:

National Geographic Society. (2019, June 5). Theory of Evolution. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/theory-evolution/

Mayr, E. (2009, November 24). Darwin’s Influence on Modern Thought. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/darwinsinfluence-on-modern-thought1/

Pandya, J. (2019, June 9). Evolution Or Extinction: Where Will The Gene Editing Revolution Take Us. Forbes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/06/09/evolution-or-extinction-where-will-the-gene-editing-revolution-take-us/?sh=49c61c8e7b06
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