Charles Darwin theory - Essay Example

EVOLUTION AND LOVE The world is so various a place that it is not possible to know everything about it. It has so many different kinds of creatures, ecosystems, and physical features. Human minds are limited and much smaller than the world; they have also evolved out of the world and are a product and part of the natural world. It therefore follows that their perspective is limited and not objective. Although we can deduce some things from the evidence in front of us, it isn’t possible to know everything.

Some religious people believe the human mind did not come out of nature but was placed in nature by God and is therefore more powerful than the natural world. I don’t think there is any evidence to support this idea. The truth is that the theory of evolution dictates which species continue to exist and which fail. It moulds and shapes the functions and appearance of each species. However, it does not guide them towards any one particular end. Evolution says that nature changes in a random way and that nothing is being progressed towards.

Each step of evolution happens because of various circumstances none of which are planned. However, there is the problem of love. Some think that evolution cannot explain why people love each other. However, love is an important function of evolution.   In this, the 201st anniversary of the birth of the great British biologist and scientist, Charles Darwin, it is fascinating to look at how his powerful theory of evolution is still a subject of debate and how exactly it operates in nature. More particularly, it is fascinating to see how love fits into his scheme.

Love is what bring together people to raise children. People fall in love for many reasons, but the main one—attraction--is a direct product of evolution. What do people find attractive? Strength, symmetry, health. These are all things that indicate good genes. People want to reproduce with people who have these attractive qualities because they want to pass on good genes to their offspring. They fall in love and stay together in order to raise their children. The reason the pattern of families have existed for so long is that the system works.

We have nuclear families because they are the most effective way, according to evolution, to raise children to become healthy and successful adults. There is no system in competition. And this is the product of love. The truth is that heredity and genetic variations are only spokes in the wheel of natural selection (Margulis 65). Heredity is what is passed down from one generation to the next in the form of DNA, not acquired characteristics. Genetic variations are occasional unpredicted differences in DNA, perhaps mutations.

These affect natural selection, but are secondary to things such as environment. Animals who can adapt more quickly or who have certain characteristics that improve their ability to reproduce will naturally pass on their genes and the variations of these genes more successfully than those that cant. Love is important but it is not determinative. Works consultedEldredge, Niles. Darwin: Discovering the Tree of Life. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005.  Margulis, Lynn. Microcosmos : Four Billion Years of Evolution From Our Microbial Ancestors.

New York: Summit Books,1986.