Difference between revisions of "Darwinism"
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The [[theory of natural selection]] is one of two major evolutionary theories advanced by Darwin, the other being the [[theory of descent with modification]].<ref> [http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Darwinism]</ref> | The [[theory of natural selection]] is one of two major evolutionary theories advanced by Darwin, the other being the [[theory of descent with modification]].<ref> [http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Darwinism]</ref> | ||
| − | The modern [[theory of evolution]] based on Darwin's | + | The modern version of the [[theory of evolution]], based on Darwin's original theory, is sometimes called "[[Neo-Darwinism]]". Some people argue the terms 'Darwinism' and 'Neo-Darwinism' are inaccurate and/or pointless, as 'Darwinists' or 'Neo-Darwinists' are, basically, everyone who accepts the Theory of Evolution (with 'Neo-Darwinists' accepting the modern version, more commonly referred to as the 'modern evolutionary synthesis'), so to say that these people are 'Darwinists' would be like saying those who accept Newton's Laws of Motion or Thermodynamics are 'Newtonists', or those that accept the General Theory of Relativity are 'Einsteinists'. |
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 19:37, April 17, 2008
Darwinism, named for the nineteenth-century English naturalist Charles Darwin, holds that natural selection is the directive or creative force of evolution. [1]
The theory of natural selection is one of two major evolutionary theories advanced by Darwin, the other being the theory of descent with modification.[2]
The modern version of the theory of evolution, based on Darwin's original theory, is sometimes called "Neo-Darwinism". Some people argue the terms 'Darwinism' and 'Neo-Darwinism' are inaccurate and/or pointless, as 'Darwinists' or 'Neo-Darwinists' are, basically, everyone who accepts the Theory of Evolution (with 'Neo-Darwinists' accepting the modern version, more commonly referred to as the 'modern evolutionary synthesis'), so to say that these people are 'Darwinists' would be like saying those who accept Newton's Laws of Motion or Thermodynamics are 'Newtonists', or those that accept the General Theory of Relativity are 'Einsteinists'.