The Darwin-Wallace Debate: A 19th Century Science Milestone

The Darwin-Wallace Debate

• In the 19th century, two English adventurers, Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace, asked similar questions and reached similar conclusions independently of each other.
• Charles Darwin traveled on the HMS Beagle, visiting the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Salvador, and the Galapagos Islands, among other places.
• During his travels, Darwin transformed into a renowned naturalist and began to understand the value of specimens he encountered.
• Upon returning to England, Darwin became famous for his voyages and was celebrated by the British scientific community.

Alfred Wallace's Contributions

• Alfred Wallace, another British scientist, traveled to inhospitable regions, making annotations and trying to understand the mechanism of species evolution.
• Wallace collected over 125,000 specimens during his 70 voyages.

The Debate Unfolds

• In 1858, Wallace sent a letter to Darwin, including an essay on the tendency of varieties to diverge indefinitely from their original form, similar to Darwin's own theory.
• Both scientists proposed that organisms undergo perpetual change, and that all living beings share a common ancestor.
• The debate sparked a public discussion, with Darwin publishing his book "On the Origin of Species" in 1859, a foundational work in evolutionary biology.
• Although Wallace defended Darwin's theory, writing several articles, he didn't achieve the same level of recognition as Darwin.

The Darwin-Wallace Debate

• Two English adventurers, Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace, independently asked similar questions and reached similar conclusions about species evolution in the 19th century.

Charles Darwin's Contributions

• Charles Darwin traveled on the HMS Beagle, visiting the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Salvador, and the Galapagos Islands.
• During his travels, Darwin became a renowned naturalist and understood the value of specimens he encountered.
• Upon returning to England, Darwin became famous for his voyages and was celebrated by the British scientific community.

Alfred Wallace's Contributions

• Alfred Wallace traveled to inhospitable regions, making annotations and trying to understand the mechanism of species evolution.
• Wallace collected over 125,000 specimens during his 70 voyages.

The Debate Unfolds

• In 1858, Wallace sent a letter to Darwin, including an essay on the tendency of varieties to diverge indefinitely from their original form.
• Both scientists proposed that organisms undergo perpetual change, and that all living beings share a common ancestor.
• Darwin published his book "On the Origin of Species" in 1859, a foundational work in evolutionary biology.
• Although Wallace defended Darwin's theory, writing several articles, he didn't achieve the same level of recognition as Darwin.

Darwin vs. Wallace Debate

• In the 19th century, Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace, two Englishmen, questioned the diversity of species and reached similar conclusions independently.

Darwin's Journey

• Charles Darwin embarked on a journey on the HMS Beagle, visiting places like the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Salvador, Bahía, Patagonia, and the Galápagos Islands.
• During this journey, Darwin became a renowned naturalist and understood the importance of the specimens he collected.

Wallace's Work

• Meanwhile, Alfred Wallace took expeditions to inhospitable areas, also interested in answering the question of why so many different living species existed.
• Wallace collected over 125,000 specimens in 70 trips, trying to uncover the mechanism of species evolution.

The Controversy

• In 1858, Wallace sent a letter to Darwin with an essay on the tendency of varieties to diverge indefinitely from the original type, similar to Darwin's natural selection theory.
• Both scientists concluded that species evolve and share a common origin, but tensions arose between them.

Darwin's Publication

• Darwin communicated the matter to his friend Charles Lyell and requested his support for an immediate joint publication of their work.
• In 1859, Darwin published his book "On the Origin of Species", which became the foundation of evolutionary biology.
• Wallace defended the theory of natural selection and wrote articles responding to criticisms of Darwin's ideas.

Legacy

• Darwin's theory of natural selection became the basis of evolutionary biology, while Wallace did not receive the same recognition.
• In 1889, the term "Darwinism" was coined to describe the ideas of Darwin and Wallace.