Evolution is one of the most widely accepted phenomena that explains the modern physical form and existence of man together with other biotic creatures. The integrated concept of evolution was an agglomeration of many scholarly findings. However, Charles Darwin is perceived to be the one with some of the most significant and substantial contribution. Darwin was an English naturalist. His contribution to the evolution phenomenon is rated among some of the most exquisite accomplishment of anthropology and biology. His writings were based on two main elements, observation and experimentation. Darwin was a keen observer and a great experimenter. However, some of the biologists and scholars who assessed his writings used these two elements to establish fault. Also, a multidimensional view of Darwin’s lifestyle and affiliations was used by some individuals to evaluate and merit his writings.
Being a British native, Darwin was ‘naturally assimilated’ to most of the English ways. Most of Darwin writings were made after the famously known ‘ Beagle Voyage .’ Having lived between 1809 and 1882, Most of Charles’ adult life was under the Victorian era (1837-1901). During the Victorian era, there were certain societal stipulates and cultures that were popularly adopted throughout many parts of England, commonly referred to as the Victorian culture. Darwin was one of the Britons who was deeply embedded in the Victorian culture. In their writings, different authors have been known to have affiliation or leniency to their culture and beliefs. This means that elements of bias or partiality may be evident in their writings. In ‘ Darwin’s Origin of Species ’ Janet Browne sees how the Victorian culture may have influenced Darwin and his writings (Browne, 2012).
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The Victorian culture was mainly based on modesty. The culture was structured in such a way that almost all relevant aspects pertaining to the individual conduct and personal behavior was modest. Despite his prowess in observation and his distinguished ability to discern phenomena, Browne expresses that this ‘modesty’ nature of the Victorian culture may have affected Darwin’s writings. One of these ways was that Charles became very reserved, especially after the Beagle Voyage . After the publishing of his book the ‘Origin of Species’ in 1859, Darwin was extremely reluctant to attend any public debates, interviews, or sittings. First, Browne points out that Charles was 50 years old when he did his first official publication. It is believed that he had been writing for more than a decade before the 1859 publication. This shows his natural inclination to the Victorian culture of being reserved, which is in some aspects rhetoric to modesty.
Charles’ failure to show up for discussions and debates had a great influence on his writings. This was a character that had been instituted and encouraged by the Victorian culture. One of the ways that Charles’ failure to attend debates and discussions influenced his writings was the closure and confining of ideas and theories. This means that the ideas he had in his writings did not get any substantial challenge. Therefore, from one piece of writing to another, Darwin built his theories from the prior ones; even if they were wrong. Browne views this from an erroneous dimension, where flaws were transited from one writing to another. Charles also did not seem to be interested in societal engagement or exposure (Browne, 2012). He was extremely modest and reserved in his writings, experiments, and observations. According to Browne, this aspect of the Victorian culture had a significant influence on the way he arranged his content, procedures/methodologies, and the way he made his inferences.
Natural selection was one of the most outstanding evolution theories that were fostered by Charles Darwin. In this theory, Darwin’s main argument was based on the concept of adaptation and survival. According to him, evolution was supposed to be a tree as opposed to a ladder. Also, this tree was supposed to have different branches there were independent of each other. When meriting the progress or continuity of one branch, it would be inappropriate to integrate its parameters with those of another branch. However, this approach had several flaws especially when one factors in elements of race and the origin of humans. Being a stern follower of the Victorian culture, Darwin was very reserved to share his theory with other scientists and interested parties during the first stages of his writings. This means that his rigidity, which was a result of his conformity to the Victorian culture, caused him to have several blurred areas or inconsistencies in his writings.
Browne acknowledges the exemplary work of Charles Darwin. Most of his theories were substantiated with credible evidence that was easily achievable and evident. However, Browne feels that Darwin was not able to reach his full potential. First, the Victorian culture silently prohibited discussions of such subjects as procreation. Indeed, this subject was very pertinent in the element of evolution like inheritance and even the entire natural selection phenomenon. Therefore, being unable to discuss such topics and explore them was a great hindrance to Darwin’ writings. This means that the Victorian culture acted as a ‘filter’ to the fields that Charles could explore to further his writings or back up the theories that he had already established. Therefore, Darwin’s writings may have experienced some limitation in content due to his adoption of the Victorian culture.
Spencer was a distinguished scientist in the 1850s. He was a very vocal scientist and he regularly attended debates and discussions where he strongly supported the Lamarckian theory which was based on inheritance. However, when Darwin published his book in 1859, Spencer was able to note the key similarities between Lamarckian and Darwin’s theories (Browne, 2012). He even became a vocal supporter of ‘social Darwinism.’ Despite his failure to attend debates, Darwin was very reluctant to collaborate with other scientists like Spencer. The impact that this had on his writings was that it narrowed his scope and field of thought. Normally, when a writer collaborates with other experts in the same field, their scope of content and writing widens. In addition, they are able to minimize errors and have new avenues of ideas. Due to his strong adoption of the Victorian culture, Darwin’s writings may not have achieved their ‘potential depth.’
References
Browne, J. (2012). Darwin's Origin of Species : A Biography (A Book that Shook the World). Atlantic Books.
