The man who challenged God- Charles Darwin

Aman Kanth “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” Charles Darwin Ever since human civilisation came to being, ‘faith’ and ‘doubt’ have always been at cross. Scepticism and religion never shared a same pedestal. Whether it was the case of Copernicus or Charles Darwin, rational thought was always hard to digest and in doing so, was debunked by a society grapping under the yoke of smugness and ignorance. When Charles Robert Darwin came up with his phenomenal ‘The Origin of Species’ (1859); his great finding had to face immense hostility from various sects of society - religion, society or culture at large. Charles Robert Darwin (Feb12 1809 – April 12 1882) was a field naturalist whose research works - ‘On The Origin of Species’ and ‘Natural Selection’ hold high regard as one of the greatest scientific theories of all time. Inclined towards natural sciences from an early age, Darwin’s enthusiasm took him on to his famous journey with HMS Beagle while fashioning him as a highly acclaimed geologist whose path breaking research works would change the order of the day. ‘On the Origin of Species’ was Darwin’s master piece that spread light on -Sexual Selection and Human Evolution, The Descent of Man, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. According to the evolutionary theory of Charles Darwin, all species have evolved through a process of natural selection. Indeed, for an age that was undergoing rapid transition, Darwin’s theory was enough to shock everyone with its audacity. Darwin’s findings turned Bible on its head where the latter propounding God made man in its own image. According to Darwinian Theory, a human being evolved from a hairy quadruped rather than being made in God’s likeness! Thus, the human was no longer a divine being but part and parcel of a long evolutionary process. One of the biggest fundamental statements found in Darwin’s work was the concept of ‘survival of the fittest’ - one of the primary findings that showed how a species faced the threat of extinction in case it is unable to adapt itself to the growing demands of the evolutionary process. In nineteenth century England, Darwin’s theory of fittest’s survival inexplicably found a way into the social fabric of a changing society through Social Darwinism that critiqued a society facing capitalism, laissez-faire, colonisation and racism. On 12 February 2009, the world celebrates 200th year birth anniversary of Darwin - the naturalist who dared to change the Biblical beliefs of human evolution – a view radical enough for any religion or faith. If the findings by Darwin were outrageous 200 years ago, 200 years down the line, nothing has changed as the findings of Darwin still intrigue us. Beyond doubt, Darwin was the ‘chosen’ one - destined to change the preconceived notions of the world on human evolution. In the canons of human history, the name of Charles Robert Darwin will always be taken with great veneration as someone who gave coherent insight into the origin of beings in a world that was struggling with Biblical interpretations.