Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin was an English naturalist who proposed and provided scientific evidence that all species of life have evolved over time from one or a few common ancestors through the process of natural selection. His book, On the Origin of Species, established evolution by providing a logical explanation for the diversity of life. His theory of natural selection now forms the basis of modern evolutionary theory and remains as the foundation of biology.
His great insight — that humans are animals and that their behaviour, like that of all animals, is shaped by evolution — is now making its way into social theory. In economics, linguistics, anthropology and psychology, scholars are attempting to see how our evolved nature, interacting with particular environments, generates the ways we trade and speak, live with others and with ourselves.
The life achievements of Charles Darwin are a celebration of human curiosity and ingenuity, which have contributed significantly to the advancement of humanity. During his lifetime, Darwin collected scientific data and considered the problem of how animals and plants adapted and changed over time. Darwin was a great observer of the living world, looking at life from within, not from above. Charles Darwin’s legacy goes beyond the purely scientific. Controversy still rages today within various religions about theories of evolution.