There are many different theories about the origin and evolution of life, and evolution and creationism are at the center of a long-standing debate. Evolutionary theory explains how living things developed into complex forms and has become an important theory in modern biology.
Since the beginning of life on Earth, there have been countless species of organisms living together on Earth. The origins of life are as old as the Earth itself, and its complexity and diversity have fascinated humankind ever since. Humans began to take an interest in the variety of organisms that coexist, observing them in detail and categorizing them into groups based on morphological, physiological, and genetic characteristics. This, coupled with a desire to understand the origins of life, led to a deep exploration of how organisms originate and change.
As a result of this exploration, the concept of species was defined through the study of different organisms, and a number of criteria were created to categorize them. Throughout this process, biologists have categorized organisms according to different criteria, and these criteria have become increasingly sophisticated over time. But along the way, taxonomic problems began to arise, such as the emergence of new species that didn’t fit into existing classifications and the creation of hybrids. These problems have become more than just academic debates; they have become important challenges in understanding the complexity and diversity of nature and life.
In the process of studying these issues, fundamental questions have been raised about how diverse organisms came to exist in a single living world and what life is. These questions have led to the exploration of not only the origin of life, but also the interactions between organisms and the process of evolution. Various theories of the origin of life have emerged, with different scholars arguing for different answers to these questions. Theories about the origin of life can be broadly categorized into evolution and creationism. Evolutionary theory states that organisms were created by nature from non-living matter over a long period of time, slowly evolving from simple organisms to complex and ordered ones. Creationism, on the other hand, explains that organisms were designed from the beginning by a supernatural designer to have different forms and functions.
While evolution and creationism offer opposing views of the origin and development of life, both theories have been at the center of human thought and inquiry for a long time. To this day, proponents of each theory continue to study the evidence to support their theories, or to deny the claims of the other by finding errors. The debate over these two theories of the origin of life is still ongoing, and it has far-reaching implications not only for the life sciences, but also for many other disciplines, including philosophy, theology, and sociology.
The theory of evolution states that living things arose from non-living matter by chance and over time acquired form and function, progressing from simple, lower organisms to complex, higher organisms, resulting in the diversity of life on Earth. Since it is difficult to observe or prove how organisms evolve, evolutionary theory first accepts that they have evolved and then attempts to explain the factors that led to their evolution. Lamarck was the first to systematically present the theory of evolution. He argued that as organisms live, the parts that are used develop, the parts that are not used degenerate and disappear, and the developed parts, or acquired traits, are passed on to the next generation. He believed that species evolve and new species are created by this process. The giraffe’s ancestors did not have long necks, but because they often used their necks to pick leaves from tall trees, their necks grew longer, and the acquired traits were passed on to the next generation, resulting in the long necks of the giraffe. However, Lamarck’s theory was not widely accepted at the time, as creationism prevailed. Current research has shown that acquired traits are not inherited, so Lamarck’s theory has been rejected by modern evolutionary theory.
Another important development in evolutionary theory was made by Charles Darwin. In 1831, Charles Darwin traveled aboard the Beagle to explore the islands of South America and the South Pacific, collecting data to support his theory of evolution. Darwin observed that the turtles on the Galapagos Islands had evolved to adapt to the different island environments due to the strong currents that prevented them from traveling back and forth. He also observed that the beaks of various finches had evolved to adapt to the food available on the islands. Based on these observations, he published the theory of natural selection in 1859 in his book On the Origin of Species. The theory of natural selection is the most prominent argument in evolutionary theory and has had a major impact on the development of other evolutionary theories. According to natural selection, individuals overproduce, and through competition for survival, only those that fit the environment survive. In this process, individuals with traits that are adapted to the environment are selected and passed on to future generations. However, Darwin was unable to explain why variation between individuals exists, and his theory was still highly questioned.
Later, De Vries proposed the theory of mutation through his experiments with evening primroses. Mutation is the idea that a trait in an organism suddenly changes into a different trait, which is then inherited. However, it has been pointed out that mutations are often recessive. In addition, Wagner argued for geographic isolation and reproductive isolation. He argued that new species can arise when organisms migrate to geographically distant places, or when reproductive isolation occurs.
Modern evolutionary theory is based on Darwin’s theory of natural selection, which synthesizes many different arguments. It is a theory that integrates disciplines such as phylogenetics, genetics, ecology, taxonomy, and paleontology to link Darwin’s theory of natural selection with Mendel’s genetics, and is accepted by the majority of biologists today. However, a weakness of the theory is that mutations do not always occur in favorable ways in nature.
The emergence of evolutionary theory was a double-edged sword. Darwin’s theory spurred the development of other evolutionary theories and paved the way for a scientific and rational approach to the origin and evolution of life, moving away from a religious approach, i.e., a doctrinal approach that life was created by God. However, as Darwin’s theory of natural selection was used to justify the capitalist idea of acquiring capital through free competition, it created a social climate that perpetuated competition. The result was a society in which only the strongest survived and those who could not compete were eliminated. Leaders invoked Darwin’s theory of evolution to justify colonial policies, and it was further used to justify discrimination against race, class, and marginalized groups. This has left many people with a negative view of evolutionary theory.
Today, the study of evolutionary theory continues, and the debate between its proponents and detractors is still ongoing. The discussion of the origin of life and its development is part of humanity’s ongoing quest to understand itself and the world, a complex process that combines scientific inquiry and philosophical thought. The theory of evolution is one pillar of this quest and will continue to be an important topic as the life sciences advance.
