What If: Darwin

What If: Charles Darwin had never developed and/or published his theory of evolution by natural selection? This year, 2009, is Darwin’s 200th birthday, having been born on 12 February 1809 and 150 years since the publication of "On the Origin of Species." Darwin took on various studies and interests and eventually ended up studying nature. He formed varying ideas; he looked at the transmutation of species, which was essentially the forerunner to evolution, as well as other areas. After a life time of work, and due to the pressures of others repeating his work and beating him to winning line, Darwin was forced to publish his findings and did so in the book "On the Origin of Species" which was published on 24th November 1859.

Darwin went on to publish other books including "The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex" and "The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals." Naturally at the time, many members of the Church and other religious and non-religious members of the community took offence at the prospect of evolution as in many people’s eyes it had no room for God. There were however, people willing to believe in the concept, even clergy who saw this idea as another of God's creations.

What If: Charles Darwin had never developed and/or published his theory of evolution by natural selection?

Today Charles Darwin is an unknown name having never published his work, assuming he even work on the idea of evolution. However, we still know about evolution today thanks to Alfred Russel Wallace who was at the time independently working on a theory of evolution. Although without Darwin his work may have not been published so early, it is without a doubt he would have published it.

Even if Alfred Russel Wallace had not published his work, it is doubtful that a theory of evolution would not have appeared much before 1900 due to the increase in science including archaeology, palaeontology, botany, etc.