Darwinism Midterm I

Which college at Cambridge did Darwin attend from 1838-1831?

Christ’s College

Who was an early influence on Darwin and writer of Natural Theology?

William Paley

Revealed theology v. Natural theology

Scripture v. Reason

Which analogy was William Paley famous for?

The watchmaker analogy of intentional design

Two proponents of Transmutation of Species

Lamarck and Geoffroy

Who was the Cambridge professor and writer of the Bridgewater Treatise who influenced Darwin at college?

Whewell

What was Darwin’s view of species before he went on his Beagle journey?

He was a special creationist.

What idea did Darwin accept in 1837 after returning from the Beagle?

Transmutation of Species

Who’s writing provided Darwin with the mechanism for transmutation of species/evolution

Thomas Malthus and his book on population

Who was an early evolutionist/transmutationist and proponent of the Great Chain of Being?

Lamarck

Who believed that all species have an inherent tendency toward complexity?

Lamarck

Who was Lamarck’s big rival?

Cuvier

Who was the main proponent of the Four Embranchments theory?

Cuvier

A fixist/anti-evolutionist who believed in form guiding function via the Principle of Correlation of Parts

Cuvier

Who was another proponent of Lamarck’s ideas who frequently debated Cuvier?

Geoffroy

Proponent of Unity of Plan theory and evolution by saltation

Geoffroy - Form guides function

What theory of Geoffroy’s stated that all animals start with the same archetypal body plan and change to fit their needs?

Unity of Plan

Richard Owen

Homology (same structure regardless of function) v. Analogy (same function, different structure)

Which advocate of Newton’s vera causa was called “one of our greatest philosophers” by Darwin?

John Herschel

Author of Principles of Geology - huge influence for Darwin

Charles Lyell

Past events can be explained by processes still in action today

Uniformitarianism

What Newtonian ideal did Lyell apply to his Geology and his synopsis of Lamarck’s work?

Vera Causa

What are the three key components of Vera Causa

Existence, Adequacy, and Responsibility

What method does Darwin use to show that his theory meets the ‘Adequacy’ standard for vera causa?

Artificial selection and breeding

How does Darwin generally resolve the ‘Existence’ criterion for his theory?

Malthus’ Struggle for Existence

What did Darwin believe in as opposed to saltation?

Gradualism

What was Lyell before Darwin wrote his Origins of Species book?

An anti-evolutionist and critic of Lamarck.

What did Darwin believe connected all different species?

A series of successive slight variations.

Are all variations subject to natural selection according to Darwin?

No. Some species reach a kind of balance in the ecosystem.

Why does Darwin delineate foreign and native species?

To show that a species can only become so well adapted to its immediate environment, and can not become perfect.

What are the three types of selection?

Sexual selection, artificial selection, and natural selection.

How does sexual selection differ from natural selection?

Natural selection is more rigorous, as it depends on struggle for survival rather than for mating.

What do the beehive and the eye have in common for Darwin’s theory?

They are both examples cited by special creationists as intelligent design, but Darwin argues that selection over a long period could create them.

How does Darwin solve the problem of sterile animals and insects?

By arguing that selection applies to the family or colony over the individual

What is Darwin’s idea that species and variants will expand and diversify to fill the highest number of environmental niches?

The Principle of Divergence of Character.

How does Darwin think species should be assigned or delineated?

The degree of difference.

What is Hodge’s “dichotomous divide” in the structure of Origins?

Darwin first satisfies the Existence and Adequacy criteria for vera causa by showing that selection exists and happens in the form of breeding, then he satisfies the Responsibility criterion by showing how his theory can be applied to the past, like with the honeycomb or the eye.

What is an a fortiori argument?

Showing that a cause exists and is occurring under even stronger or more pronounced conditions.

How does Darwin use ‘argument from analogy?’

By analogizing natural selection to artificial selection via breeding.

How does Darwin’s system differ from Lamarck’s?

Lamarck predicts future phylogenies by his tendency towards complexity and Darwin does not make such a claim.

What is a “sport” in evolution?

A large, discontinuous jump or saltation.

What is process by which new variations are blended back into the average phenotype?

Blending inheritance

What is Darwin’s gemmules theory called?

Pangenesis

What purpose was Darwin’s gemmules theory supposed to serve?

Provide a mechanism for heredity or carry-over of traits from parent to offspring

What was Huxley’s criticism of Darwin’s pangenesis?

Like in chemistry, changing one aspect of an organism would lead to a large saltation in the physical form, not a tiny variation.

What is the Principle of Regression?

The idea that each new generation of offspring will get closer to the average physical form, counteracting Darwin’s divergence of character.

Who was the proponent of the Principle of Regression?

Galton