19th Century Biology

Part A.

In the year 1979, Michael Ruse published a book entitled The Darwinian Revolution: Science Red in Tooth and Claw. The book examines Charles Darwin’s contribution to the theory of evolution. Darwin is credited with the idea of how the process of natural selection influenced evolution (Ruse, 1979). During the 19^th century, there occurred a Darwinian Revolution. Prior this period, many people never believed in evolution. However, Darwin’s ideas helped them to understand how the process took place.  They helped to revolutionize the field of evolution. Since the publication of Ruse’s book, the issue of Darwinian has been met with mixed reactions from scholars. One group of the scholars believes that Darwinian Revolution indeed took place in the 19^th century (Ruse, 1979). This is due to the fact that it was during this time that that the mechanism of evolution was clarified. The other group dismisses this revolution on the grounds that evolution is a process that has been there since time immemorial (Ruse, 1979). It is not a product of the century when Darwin lived.

Part B: Response to Question 1

There are various ways in which the era of Romanticism during the 19^th century could be compared and contrasted with period of Enlightenment in the 18^th century. To begin with, Romanticism focused on human subjectivity and expression of emotions in a free manner (Wallace, 2016). On its part, Enlightenment emphasized on the discovery of knowledge, and it encouraged rational thinking (Wallace, 2016). Despite these differences in the areas of their focus, it is important to note that both approaches are important historical events that led to some significant changes in the society (Wallace, 2016).   They were key players in the reformation of ideologies that helped to shape the current history.

References:

Ruse, M. (1979). Darwinian Revolution: Science Red in Tooth and Claw.  Chicago: The Chicago University Press.

Wallace, M. L. (2016). Enlightening Romanticism, Romancing the Enlightenment: British Novels from 1750 to 1832. London: Routledge.