Darwin:
Darwin's Theory of Evolution - Natural Selection
While Darwin's Theory of Evolution is a relatively young archetype, the evolutionary worldview itself is as old as antiquity. Ancient Greek
philosophers such as Anaximander postulated the development of life from non-life and the evolutionary descent of man from animal. Charles Darwin
simply brought something new to the old philosophy -- a plausible mechanism called "natural selection." Natural selection acts to preserve and
accumulate minor advantageous genetic mutations. Suppose a member of a species developed a functional advantage (it grew wings and learned to fly).
Its offspring would inherit that advantage and pass it on to their offspring. The inferior (disadvantaged) members of the same species would gradually
die out, leaving only the superior (advantaged) members of the species. Natural selection is the preservation of a functional advantage that enables a
species to compete better in the wild. Natural selection is the naturalistic equivalent to domestic breeding. Over the centuries, human breeders have
produced dramatic changes in domestic animal populations by selecting individuals to breed. Breeders eliminate undesirable traits gradually over time.
Similarly, natural selection eliminates inferior species gradually over time.
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