Evolutionary Theory
These early theorists strived to
understand adaptation to one’s environment.
While
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----------------Lamarck--------------------
--------------Spencer--------------
------------Darwin-------------
Environmental changes are responsible for the structural changes in plants and animals
-Inheritance of acquired characteristics à adaptive abilities are passed on to offspring
Everything begins as a whole and becomes complex through evolution
A behavior increases following pleasure and decreases after pain
these learned associations are passed on to offspring
Introduced the term ‘survival of the fittest’
Evolution’s purpose is progression to perfection
Social Darwinism à evolution should weed out the weak
Took a 5 year unpaid position on the beagle which would introduce him to many species
1859- published ‘On the origin of species’
-Struggle for survival resulting in the fittest surviving
-Natural selection of the most adaptive characteristics, this allows for slow transmutation
-Organisms with adaptive features are the fittest
1871- The Descent of Man à we come from monkeys