What is the definition of Darwinism?

Answer

In 1860, Thomas Henry Huxley introduced the term “Darwinism” in reference to Charles Darwin’s book “On the Origin of Species,” which was published the previous year. Darwin’s book introduced natural selection as the mechanism of biological evolution, as indicated in the full title, “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.” Therefore, Darwinism is correctly defined as the body of theory that addresses biological evolution in general and evolution through natural selection in particular.

In 1864, the philosopher Herbert Spencer summarized Darwinism with the phrase “survival of the fittest.” Darwin endorsed this summary as an accurate and convenient representation of his fundamental theory. The idea of survival of the fittest was contested by Henry Drummond of the Scottish Free Church, who highlighted that even in the animal kingdom, survival is not solely determined by stealth and strength; care and compassion also play significant roles.

Charles Darwin released a second book on evolution in 1871, titled “The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex.” In this work, he proposed that nature itself dictated the advancement and development of all living organisms. The implication was that any human-centered or God-centered perspective of the world is merely wishful thinking.

Darwinism has been extended beyond the realm of biology. For instance, “Social Darwinism” applies the Darwinian concept of struggle to the competition for dominance within society, leading to the emergence of the “science” of eugenics. By the late 1950s, the term Darwinism had been revised to encompass natural selection along with population genetics and Mendelian genetics. Historians frequently use the term Darwinism to distinguish Darwin’s theory from other evolutionary theories that were present during the same period.

The contemporary scientific community employs the term Darwinism to differentiate Darwin’s original theory from other evolutionary concepts.

Modern evolutionary theories have evolved from Darwin’s original theories (sometimes referred to as “neo-Darwinism”). Present-day scientists do not exclusively depend on Darwin’s initial concepts in the field of modern biology.

Certain creationists misinterpret the term Darwinism by associating it with atheistic evolution in a broad sense. Strictly speaking, Darwinism is not linked to cosmic evolution, the Big Bang theory, or the origin of life itself. Biological Darwinism focuses on the progression and diversification of life, not on its origins.