Charles Darwin has given a theory that says humans are descended from monkeys. Darwin is the man behind the term “survival of the fittest.” He was the first man to theorize evolution as the origin of species. Darwin played shortstop for the Yankees. He didn’t believe in God. These are some common myths that are associated with Charles Darwin (Well, maybe not playing shortstop for the Yankees). But, as with the Yankees myth that we just created, the rest is also false.
Here is the truth behind the Myths surrounding Charles Darwin. Let’s explore the five most common myths.
5 most common myths surrounding Charges Darwin
Myth 1: Humans descended from monkeys
In 1871, Charles Darwin released a science-altering book, The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, the great scientist and naturalist said on his theory of evolution. While he said that there was a connection between humans, money, and apes, but he never said that humans descended from monkeys. Instead, he believed all living beings were descended from one thing, including apes, humans, and monkeys.
Myth 2: Darwin was not known before on the Origin of Species
It’s famously believed that Darwin was an unknown scientist before the release of his book Origin of species. But the truth is before the release of his book; he was already a well-respected person in the science community. In an 1860 review of his book, Andre Murray called him an accomplished naturalist, and he said that any contribution to natural history literature that comes from the pen of Darwan deserves attention.
It was in 1836 when Darwin started getting known for his work when his mentor, John Stevens Henslow, started telling other people about his studies. Darwin wrote many books and pamphlets before the release of On the Origin of Species.
Myth 3: Scientists dismissed Darwin’s theory initially
Sure, some people didn’t agree with Darwin’s theories. Including the likes of Charles Hodge, who was among the very first individuals who associated Darwinism with atheism. “If a person says he is a Darwinian, it’s believed that he is an atheist.
But many people praised, agreed, and also admired Darwin’s theories.
Myth 4: Darwin introduced the term “survival of the fittest “
This term was coined by Herbert Spencer, which he did after reading Thoughts on evolution by Darwin. In his 1861 book Principles of Biology, he admitted that this term was based on Darwin’s theories.
Returning the favor, Darwin also gave credit to Spencer by thanking him for giving a much more useful and accurate phrase to his principle, in his sixth edition of the On the Origin of Species.
Myth 5: Darwin published the first book on evolution
It’s a common misconception that Darwin wrote the first book about evolution. But that’s not true because the idea of evolution was around humans from 7th century BC. Much more recently, at the beginning of the 19th century, there was a prevalent theory on evolution proposed by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. So, it’s clear that there were many books on evolution before Darwin released his book.
Final words
So, these were some of the very common myths surrounding the great scientist Charles Darwin. He is one of the greatest naturalists and was admired all around the world.
