Darwin's Legacy

Peter J. Bowler, in his analysis of this issue, made the statement that when "the Origin of the Species was published on November 24, 1859, the 1,250 copies of the first edition were snapped up by bookseller son the first day. There was some support from scientists, but much of the initial response was negative."[i] The theory of evolution and its adjunct, the survival of the fittest, was key to Darwin's argument regarding the ways in which all life forms developed and were modified or adapted over time. [ii] Bowler says that those who favored Darwin's views "came from less privileged social backgrounds and were anxious to replace the old hierarchy with a new order favoring the middle classes."[iii] Nevertheless, over time as noted by Bowler, scientists and physicians began to recognize that aspects of the theory could be demonstrated empirically; further, while Darwinisn experienced a decline in the later 19th and early 20th century, the reality of the new paradigm was inescapable: it forever changed society, said Bowl