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Volume 3: With a blow of destiny, the king appears Chapter 69: Preserving an excellent race in the struggle for survival

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    The full name of "On the Origin of Species" (English: ies) is "On the Origin of Species by the Method of Natural Selection (that is, the Preservation of Superior Races in the Struggle for Survival)". It is Darwin's important work on biological evolution and was published in 1859.  This book is one of the most controversial works of the 19th century, and most of its views are generally accepted by the scientific community today.

    In this book, Darwin first proposed the theory of evolution.  He used the data he accumulated during his global scientific expeditions in the 1830s to try to prove that the evolution of species was achieved through natural selection (natural selection) and anthropogenic selection.

    At that time, people generally accepted the theory of creation, believing that God created the world and created all living things at once. At the same time, God also gave each living creature its own role, and the design of each species was perfect, so species are eternally fixed.  Changeless.

    The fossils found in the strata are evidence that the ancient earth suffered a great flood. Those fossils are animals that did not board Noah's Ark.

    The history of the earth is only about six thousand years, which is the time calculated through the human generations starting from Adam and Eve.

    Darwin himself also believed that, given enough time, subtle changes that cannot be detected can also cause huge changes.  Darwin estimated that the middle Cretaceous period was about 300 million years old. Natural factors such as long-lasting small earthquakes allowed biological remains that were originally in the sea to be found in the mountains.

    During his expedition to the Galapagos Islands, Darwin found that the tortoises and birds on each island were not very different, but there were some slight differences.  He also found that the creatures on the Galapagos Islands were very similar to those on the South American continent; so he began to suspect that the creatures on the islands may have a common ancestor, and that the differences between them were due to thousands of years of adaptation to the different environments of each island.

    Every species is the result of subtle changes over countless generations.

    Biological evolution was not a new concept at the time.  In 1809, French zoologist Lamarck proposed that when the environment changes, species will adapt and develop their own organs to adapt to the environment. Commonly used organs will grow larger, and unused organs will gradually degenerate.  And the changes acquired by this generation will be passed on to the next generation; but there is no scientific evidence to support the hypothesis that use it or lose it and acquired characteristics are heritable.

    Later, Darwin got inspiration from the "Essay on Population" written by the British demographer Malthus. Malthus believed that human food production could never keep up with the increase in population, resulting in a shortage of food and resulting in famine or war, leading to the death of part of the population.

    Darwin associates this with the mechanism of biological evolution: evolution is the result of free elimination in the competition for survival. Resources such as food and space are limited. Only the individuals most adapted to the environment can survive and continue the group.

    The concept of natural selection gradually took shape during Darwin's five-year global expedition.  After returning to England in 1836, Darwin slowly wrote down his views in articles, but they were not published.

    Most scientists think so.  One of the reasons Darwin delayed publishing his work was because he was worried about causing a backlash from church forces.  In 1858, Darwin received an article on speciation from Wallace, a naturalist who was investigating in the Malay Archipelago; Wallace's views on speciation had many similarities with his, which increased Darwin's confidence in his theory.

    So the two signed the paper together at the Linnean Society of London in 1858.  Express ideas about speciation.  Then Darwin published "The Origin of Species" in 1859.

    Darwin¡¯s theory in the book©¤

    He believes that all animals and plants evolved from earlier, more primitive forms; secondly, he believes that biological evolution occurs through natural selection.

    Species are not static, but change as the environment changes.  Biological evolution is a long-term continuous slow change, not a sudden drastic change.

    The same type of creature has a common ancestor. For example, mammals evolved from the same ancestor. From this, it can be inferred that humans and apes have a common ancestor.

    Biological groups will expand with reproduction and exceed the limits of their living space and food supply.  Causes competition among individuals; individuals that do not adapt to the environment will be eliminated, and only the fittest can survive and reproduce.

    Darwin¡¯s theory of evolution caused widespread controversy at the time and was regarded as heresy by the Christian church.  Western society also sneered at Darwin.

    According to Catholic dogma at the time, human beings are the most unique and perfect masterpieces created by God in his own image.

    Darwin¡¯s theory not only overturned the idea that God created all things, but also described human beings as the product of thousands of years of cruel competition for survival. It also pointed out that humans and other mammals have a common ancestor.  This was simply a blasphemy against God and Christian teachings, which was quite shocking to the conservative society at that time.However, Darwin¡¯s theory was not perfect at the time.  At that time, no genetic mechanism was understood to explain how chance differences between individuals arise; it was later combined with the laws of inheritance of the Austrian geneticist Mendel to form the modern comprehensive theory that is now widely accepted by the public.

    After the 1950s, human genes were discovered, which solved the mystery of differences within species in the theory of evolution and how these characteristics are passed on to future generations through reproduction.  Studying the DNA of different animals and comparing them further confirms the theory of common ancestry.

    Note: "On Population", published by the demographer Malthus in 1798, is a classic work of political economics.

    The basic idea of ????demographic principles is:

    If there is no limit, the population grows exponentially (ie: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, etc.).

    The food supply shows linear growth (ie: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, etc.).

    Food is the most important condition for human survival.

    Only natural causes (accidents and aging), disasters (wars, plagues, and famines of all kinds), moral constraints, and vices (which Malthus included infanticide, murder, sterilization, and homosexuality) can limit excessive population growth.

    Malthus noted that many people misused his theory and was painfully clear that he did not merely predict future catastrophes.  He argued, the reasons for the persistence of periodic disasters have existed since the beginning of mankind, still exist today, and will continue to exist in the future unless the physical structure of our nature changes decisively.

    Therefore, Malthus considered his Treatise on Population to be an explanation of the past and present condition of mankind, as well as a prediction of our future.

    The argument of population theory is that the increase in food will only show an arithmetic sequence, while the increase in population will show a geometric sequence.  Therefore, he felt that humans must worry about the lack of food, reduce preventive restrictions on marriage, and actively restrict the oppression of the born population due to the reality of poverty.

    Pastor Thomas Robert Malthus (1766©¤1834) is generally called Thomas Malthus, although he likes to call himself Robert Malthus.  is a British demographer and political economist.  His academic thought was pessimistic but far-reaching.

    The main point of Malthus's "Dissertation of 1798": The number of people is severely limited by the means of survival.  As the means of survival increase, the population also increases accordingly.  Population pressure stimulates production growth.  Increased production in turn stimulates population growth.

    In the long run, production growth cannot keep pace with the growth potential of the population, and a huge rift will inevitably appear between the population and its feeding capacity.

    ? Many factors that affect population and productivity, such as sex, labor and children, are affected by individual income and expenditure decisions.  Positive disincentives come into play when population growth exceeds feeding capacity.  The nature of these inhibitors will have consequences for other parts of the biosocial system.
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