ABSTRACT
C. Darwin formed his ideas of natural selection on the model of artificial selection, with Charles Lyell’s and T. Malthus’s ideas at the back of his mind. Darwin’s wide knowledge of nature, his experience as a world traveler, and his ability as a scientist are reflected in his many books. He described natural selection, not as ‘nature red in tooth and claw’ but as the end result of the differences in survival and reproductive success of individuals. Darwin attributed the evolution of the diverse life forms on earth to the action of natural selection. The offspring of common progenitors, if exposed to different environments, will ultimately evolve into different species, each maximally adapted to the requirements of its environment. The idea of natural selection and evolution was not acceptable to many in 19th century England. More serious objections to Darwin’s theory came from a biologist, St. George Jackson Mivart, who published a book called ‘Genesis of Species’ in 1871.
