Charles Darwin - The first true free thinker

“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.”

Charles (Robert) Darwin, 12^th Feb 1809 – 19^th April 1882, was English philosopher and naturalist, who’s “Origin of Species,” considered as one of the most important achievements of humans, revolutionized our understanding of living organisms and how different species are related through common ancestors. For example, humans and chimpanzees are close cousins as we share common ancestors sometime in the past. The idea that humans and animals shared a common ancestry shocked or rather appalled the Victorian society leading to tremendous opposition and ridicule from a majority of the then common populous as well as the scientific community. One primary reason for the opposition was that the theory attempted to strip humans of their superiority over other animals by proposing a common ancestry. This was in direct conflict with the then existing religious beliefs, which unfortunately continue to this day. His ideas had corrosive effects in his personal life. Darwin’s wife being a devout Christian fervently opposed his take on human origin. However, his nonreligious biology appealed to the rising class of professional scientists, and by the time of his death evolutionary imagery had spread through all of science, literature, and politics. Darwin, himself an agnostic, was accorded the ultimate British accolade of burial in Westminster Abbey, London. Today we employ his ideas in preparing medicines, anti-biotics, improving the quality and quantity of agricultural products, etc.


The following is the link containing an account of his "Origin of Species"
http://www.literature.org/authors/darwin-charles/




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