Darwin's Theory and Controversy
Darwin's theory claims that the ability of species to adapt makes it able to survive. A species can adapt in many ways like self-defense and its ability to survive under different environmental conditions. The theory was considered controversial because it ignored the role of God in creation. It also conflicted with the religious views because he argued that sexual instinct was the factor which influenced competition and struggle of the species without a supreme being involved. The other thing that made the theory a controversial one is that his argument portrayed that the people who originated from European where the favored race. Considering this, he claimed that there are two different types of races the favored and the not favored.
Agassiz and Darwin's Different Views
Agassiz and Darwin had different views on the origin of species and life. This raised a debate because Agassiz religious views and feelings did not support Darwin's theory. Agassiz claimed that it is the Almighty creator who in His intellect made things tangible and in external forms (Sayre). The different species on earth originated from the creator's work and thus they belong to him. A race to the creator means a distinct kind of a species. Darwin, on the other hand, holds that species are as a result of the natural selection process. The species with the ability to adapt to different environments are the ones able to survive. Darwin also asserted that isolation of species of flora and fauna which exist in similar habitats results to a different distinct species. Considering Darwin's assertion, it is clear that races originated from the separation of species of flora and fauna which lived in the same habitat.
Works Cited
Sayre, Henry M. Humanities: Culture, Continuity and Change, The. Vol. 2. Pearson Higher Ed, 2014.
