Natural Selection

Natural selection is something that we all hear about, but what is it exactly? According to Biology-Online.org, it is “A process in nature in which organisms possessing certain genotypic characteristics that make them better adjusted to an environment end to survive, reproduce, increase in number or frequency, and therefore, are able to transmit and perpetuate their essential genotypic qualities to succeeding generations."

Broken down this means, traits that make a species more survivable will become dominant thus causing the species to survive. If the species lacks surviving traits, they will die, or not succeed in what they want to accomplish. Not only can this be found on looking at an entire type of species but can be found in groups of people, class, gender and race. I will explain how by looking at works from Charles Darwin, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, And Phillip K. Dick

In Phillip K. Dick’s short story “Tony and the Beetles” the reader learns straight off that the humans have conquered an alien world. The inhabitants are called Pas-udeti, but the humans choose their own name for them Beetles. They are called this because they appear to look like an actual beetle, with a shiny body, and insect like arms and legs. Labeling is a great example of natural selection, humans wanted to survive, because they destroyed their own planet, and now to make them seem like the “masters” so to speak, they pick a name that describes their appearance, making it easier for themselves. Tony, the protagonist who befriends the Pas-udetis, they were his friends because their planet was being destroyed and they wanted to live. Here is an exert from the story.

“ ‘This is my home. Isn’t it? Haven’t I got as much right here as anybody else? I was born here.’ Do you have to act this way? You didn’t act this way yesterday. I was here yesterday- all of us were here yesterday. What ‘s happened since yesterday?’ ‘The Battle.’ B’pirth said.’ ” (Dick, 129).

When the Pas-udeti Army began to rise against the humans, they forget about him and want to leave him in the past. Survival seems to be the main source for natural selection, In Germany people thought that getting rid of people who have been having problems, or aren’t the majority were the enemies because they were different. The tables then turned as history began to turn.

In The Darwin reader, there is a section called The descent of Man” written by Charles Darwin. There is a passage in this about race and music, which I found very interesting. This goes with “Tony and the Beetles”.

“We see that the musical faculties, which are not wholly deficient in any race are capable of prompt and high development, for Hottentots and Negroes have become excellent musicians, although in their native countries they rarely practice anything that we should consider music.” ( Darwin 237).

To me he seems to not look into their culture, there are many forms of music located in Africa, it was something different, and for many people, that difference is wrong. Many people have a closed mind when it comes to the world. If there is anything that saddens me it is this. Yes Darwin has found information that if we didn’t have today, our beliefs on who we are descendants of and how we came to earth.

Gender is the final example found throughout our readings. According to Darwin, he believes that man may be stronger in some areas, but a woman has strengths in other areas such as, “ whether requiring deep thought, reason or imagination, or merely the sue of the senses and hands.” ( Darwin, 234).

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American Feminist, Pioneer reformer for women’s rights and was the first president of the “National Woman Suffrage Association”, is an excellent example of someone who believes the bible to be helpful in some situations. “The real difficulty in woman’s case is that the whole foundation of ht Christian religion rests on her temptation and man’s fall, hence the necessity of a redeemer and a plan of salvation.”(Stanton, 426). I feel what Stanton is saying in this passage is that the Bible doesn’t refer to the present, which for her was 1889. To this day, in the year 2009 I believe that people need to see that time and life moves on, and we need to adjust, and take risks.

The video attached is from the website 5min.com. it speaks about artificial and natural selection, in the third minute and forty seconds, the Thinkwell speaker, begins to describe how Darwin wanted to take a risk, and explore natural selection. A fellow naturalist, who was very young, and he too discovered that species that are over populated, chose the ones who are stronger. This video makes Natural selection very easy to understand and I encourage everyone to watch it if they want an easy way to understand this study.

MLA Works cited:

Darwin, Charles. "Selections from Darwin's Work." pp 67-254 in Darwin 3rd ed. Philip Appleman, ed. New York: W.W.Norton, 2001.

Dick, Philip k. " Tony and the Beetles". The Phillip K. Dick Reader, New York: Citadel Press. 1987.

"Natural Selection." Biology-Online. 18 May 2009. Web. 26 Nov. 2009. .

The Theory of Natural Selection. Adapt. Thinkwell. Perf. Professor George Wolfe. 5min Life Videopedia. Web. 27 Nov. 2009. .

Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. "The Women's Bible." in Darwin 3rd ed. Phillip Appleman, ed. New York: W.W.Norton, 2001

* go to 3:42 to hear about Natural Selection

The theory of natural selection