EVOLUTION:
in modern times the theory of evolution was first advanced by Charles BONNET
(1720-1793) who argued that an embryo already contains all the parts of the mature
organism. Charles LYELL (1797-1874) speculated on the evolution of land animals in 1832
and his work influenced Charles DARWIN (1809-1882), who wrote The Origin of Species
(1859). Prior to that, Herbert SPENCER in 1852 had defined a general theory of evolution
from lower to higher forms of life and organization. What Darwin did was new; he described
some of the processes by which new species developed and generalized these as NATURAL
SELECTION. In the development of SOCIAL DARWINISM, the generalized natural history
provided images for social action and change and came to justify ruthless competition on
the basis of "natural selection" and "the survival of the fittest."
