THE HISTORY OF EVOLUTIONARY THEORY
The history of evolutionary theory is written in the life works of many persons. It continues today. A short list of early contribuitors follows.
Anaximander (611-547 BC) proposed the theory of spontaneous generation
(Abiogenesis). It was supported by Plato, Aristotle, and Van Helmont.
Father Suarez (1548-1617) was the greatest supporter of the theory of special creation.
Francesco Redi (1626-1698) proposed the theory of bio genesis. It was supposed by
Spallanzani, Louis Pasteur.
George Louis Leclerc (1707-1778) – The French naturalist, also known as the Conte de Buffon, who wrote a 44 volume Natural History of all known plants and animals. He suggested evolution but offered no proof.
Carl Linneus (1707-1778) – A Swedish botantist known as the “Father of Taxonomy”. He developed the system of binomial nomenclature used to name and classify organisms today.
He believed in seperate creation and the fixity of species. Although he did not belive in evolution his systematic methods for classifing are used to develop phylogenetic trees.
George Cuvier (1769-1832) – A vertebrate zoologist. He used comparative anatomy to
classify animals. Proposed the Theory of Catastrophism which stated that after each worldwide castastrophe the world was repopulated by the surviving species which gave the appearance of
chance over time.
Erasmus Darwin (1769-1802) – The grandfather of Charles Darwin, he was also a physician and naturalist. He suggested the possibility of evolution based on his studies of animal development, artifical breeding and vestigal organs.
James Hutton (1726- 1797) – Proposed the Uniformation Theory of Geology. According
to Hutton, the earth is not static but subject to continueous cycles of erosion and uplifting. Weathered materials were deposited in layers which became sedimentary rock. This rock often
contained fossils and would eventually be lifed from the sea beds to form land. It was called the uniformation theory because the forces at work were though to always act at a uniform rate.
We known that is not the case today.
Charles Lyell (1796-1875) – Wrote the Principals of Geology which provided support for Hutton’s theory.
Alfred Wegener 1880-1930) – The German earth scientist who proposed the Theory of
Continental Drift in 1915. Controversial at the time, he propose the continents had undergone large movements over the past 300 million years. Today the science of Plate Tectonics studies the movement of the earth’s crust.
Thomas Malthus (1766-1834) – Malthus was an English sociologist who wrote an Essay of Population in 1798. In his essay, he proposed that death and famine were inevitable because the human population tended to increase faster than the supply of food.
This essay influenced Darwin greatly and was used in his formulation of the Theory of Natural Selection.
Comments
Post a Comment