Struggle for Existence Origin of Species Charles Darwin

Essay by cdrizzle101College, UndergraduateB+, December 2008

download word file, 7 pages 0.0

Chris Drake

HIST 313 Darwinian Revolution

Paper Assignment One


Chapter III

Struggle for Existence

Before Darwin unveils his most valued gift to the world, the theory of Descendent with Modification, he needs to explain the mechanisms that go into the formula for this theory to be understood. Looking at the major mechanism for Descendent with Modification, Natural Selection, as a math equation one can understand it as this, Variation under Nature plus Struggle for Existence equals Natural Selection, VN+SE=NS. Darwin describes:

Owing to this struggle for life, any variation, however slight, and from whatever cause proceeding, if it be any degree profitable to an individual of any species, in its infinitely complex relations to other organic beings and to external nature, will tend to the preservation of that individual, and will generally be inherited by its offspring.Ã¯Â¿Â½

In the chapter that will be discussed Darwin dives into his explanation of what Struggle for Existence is and the importance of it related to Natural Selection. Since the book in "one long argument" the previous chapter can't be over looked entirely since it is a fluid argument. A brief description of Variation under Nature is necessary to fully understand the significance of the Struggle for Existence.

Darwin makes that case that within all species individuals have slight differences in variation. There are no two living things exactly alike. Variability is inherited and lasts through generations. Understanding these two concepts brings now the weight of the Struggle for Existence on Variation.

Natural Selection could be understood under this definition: Preservation of variation with most success for survival. The last part "most success for survival" is what this chapter of Struggle for Existence attempts to explain. Moving on from individual variability, which is important, but does not explain how...